According to the organization Aseman Lapset (Children of the Station), some recent media reports about youth gangs do not reflect the reality on Helsinki's streets. The group says that while it is good to discuss the alienation experienced by some young people, a distorted picture of the situation should be avoided.
Earlier this week, Yle reported that gangs of youths fitting the criteria of international organized street gangs are being seen in Helsinki. However, there are only a few youth gangs in the Finnish capital, and the situation is not comparable to that seen in many other European cities.
Aseman Lapset says that there are no organized violent groups of minors in Helsinki. It stresses that isolated incidents of groups of young people committing offenses is not a sign of gang activity.