Police: Finnish street gangs have gone underground

According to police, the number of violent crimes by street gangs in Finland has decreased, but there are factors that could make a new round possible.

Stabbing weapons and chains seized by police. — Stabbing weapons and metal chains were found by police in 2021 in the car of men with ties to a street gang in Helsinki. At the time, the prosecutor said the items were intended for use in an attack on a rival gang in Espoo. Image: Poliisi

Finnish street gangs appear to have gone underground, police say.

Until recently, these gangs maintained a relatively high level of visibility through confrontations with rivals and an openly provocative presence on social media. Today, they operate more covertly.

According to police, there has been a major change in the way gangs operate and project their image over the past year.

“Their activities are no longer as visible and their symbols or ‘brand’ are no longer as prominent as they used to be,” said Detective Inspector Marko Forsswho works in the Helsinki Police’s Street Gang Investigation Department.

According to the police, there are indications that the criminal activities of street gangs have become more professional and that their working methods are developing towards traditional organised crime.

An example of this is that gangs are now engaged in criminal activities within networks.

“It can therefore be difficult to distinguish between the activities of individuals previously associated with street gangs and those associated with organised crime groups,” Forss emphasises.

Detective Inspector Kimmo Sainioalso from the Helsinki Police, believes that the observed changes are due to factors such as the prison sentences imposed on key gang members and other measures taken by the authorities.

“This may have forced them to act differently. It means that they have realised that such visible activity on social media does not help their own cause. Public exposure creates interest and thus partly facilitates police actions,” he says.

More influence from Sweden

According to the police, there is increasing criminal influence from Sweden.

In the past year, police have seen individuals involved in organized crime in Sweden coming to Finland. They enter the country permanently or temporarily and are linked to the criminal activities of Finnish street gangs.

“Preliminary investigations have led to suspicions, or evidence, that they are involved in the import and distribution of drugs. The illegal drug market, which has opened up somewhat in Finland, is an important part of the whole situation,” says Sainio.

He adds that the police do not know exactly how many such individuals there are in Finland and what they are doing.

“But over the past year there has been increasing evidence pointing in that direction,” he notes.

According to police, street gangs active in Finland have ties not only to Sweden, but especially to the United Kingdom.

In a sensitive phase

There are still about ten street gangs in Finland, mainly in the capital region.

According to the latest police estimate, street gang networks include around 150 key players, largely the same people as in previous years.

However, according to Forss, figures on the number of street gang members do not provide a completely accurate picture of the current situation of street gang networks.

Gangs are not clearly defined or easily identified, for example by means of signs or symbols.

There has been no significant change in street gang crime in recent years, which Sainio attributes to the police’s success in cracking down on gang violence, exposing large-scale drug networks and seizing firearms.

“The main perpetrators are now serving long sentences and that has partly calmed the situation,” Sainio said.

However, it is possible that the potential for new violence still lurks beneath the surface.

“This is a very sensitive phase. Every single action can make a big difference,” Sainio emphasizes.