Is Finland in the midst of a new wave of violent youth crime? Apparently not, after all.
A day after reporting that young, aggressive crime-doers prowling Helsinki’s streets sparked a national debate, daily Helsingin Sanomat has clarified that overall, the number of crimes committed by minors in Helsinki is actually declining.
According to HS, as of September, there had been a total of 286 homicides and assaults suspected of being committed by minors reported to Helsinki police so far this year. The corresponding number was 303 at the same time last year.
The National Police Board's assault and robbery statistics also reflect this decline. About 492 suspected robberies and assaults by minors came to light last year 492, compared to 615 in the year 2000. Between January and October of this year, there have been 388 suspected cases.
However, it cannot be said that juvenile delinquency is unequivocally declining, HS noted — the numbers have fluctuated widely over the years. For instance, in 2011, there was a spike with 749 recorded cases of suspected robberies and assaults by minors.
This year has also seen a spike in minors carrying knives, with most claiming they do so for their own safety, HS quoted detective inspector Marko Forss as saying.
According to Forss, it is typical for group robbery crimes to end when the youngsters turn 18. However, a young person who commits drug offences often continues into adulthood, and some become part of drug organisations, he said.
Fors added that many of the youngsters are under child protection services. He said the police may impose a travel ban on offenders, but child protection workers don’t have effective means to prevent youngsters from unauthorizedly leaving the shelters.
Forss however observed that not all young runaways commit crimes. Many of them, especially young girls, end up as victims of crime themselves.
Research: Early daycare could lead to aggressive behaviour
Tabloid Ilta-Sanomat published a report on a controversial postdoctoral dissertation paper by researcher Aino Saarinen which suggests that daycare started at an early age may have negative effects on a child's development in certain situations.
“It is an indisputable scientific fact that if a child starts early childhood education too early, if the group size is too large, if the child spends too long days in early childhood education and if caregivers change, then the risk of aggression increases. It has been found in many studies, Saarinen said.
IS quoted Saarinen defining aggressive behaviour as hitting, pushing, or general disobedience.
The sources of Saarinen's dissertation research are mainly non-Finnish studies. Saarinen said she is surprised that the content of the dissertation has aroused so much discussion in the fields of science and early childhood education.
“At the international level, researchers have stated that there is nothing new in my results, but in Finland the research has caused a stir,” she said.
Finish experts were unsure about the findings. Markku Niemivirta, Professor of Education at the University of Eastern Finland described the results of the study as confusing.
THL's research professor Heikki Hiilamo said there were several shortcomings in the methodology.
Maarit Alasuutari, Professor of Early Childhood Education at the University of Jyväskylä, added the conclusions drawn from studies conducted in different countries are not necessarily relevant to a Finnish context.
The dissertation will be reviewed at the University of Helsinki on Thursday.
Older professionals experience age discrimination
Highly educated people in the age group of 55–65 years often experience age discrimination in the labour market according to two latest surveys, as reported by Swedish-language daily Hufvudstadsbladet.
A survey commissioned by labour market organisation Finnish Business School Graduates revealed that 84 percent in the age group perceived age discrimination as a problem. Of the respondents, one in four had experienced age discrimination themselves.
Among unemployed jobseekers, this figure was even higher — as many as 80 percent said they had personally experienced discrimination.
Another study by trade union the Confederation of Unions for Professional and Managerial Staff revealed that women in the 55-64 age group experienced more discrimination than men.
HBL said the surveys indicated that there are not always concrete guidelines for tackling age discrimination in the workplace.
Only one in three respondents had raised age discrimination in the workplace for discussion, and the majority of them felt that the discussion did not lead anywhere.
However, the survey observed a paradox that older professionals are highly valued in the workplace for their knowledge, networks and experience, but the attitudes change dramatically towards jobseekers in the same age group.