Dangerous Driving, Drug Use and Social Exclusion Top Pirkanmaa Residents' Safety Fears

Dangerous driving, drug use and social exclusion are the top safety concerns among Pirkanmaa residents, according to the region's first wellbeing-area survey conducted this spring. Almost 10,000 people answered the questionnaire; while most said they feel safe where they live, sizeable minorities named specific risks. Thirty-five percent described dangerous driving on their neighbourhood streets as a major problem, and 64 percent said they were fairly or very worried about drug use.

Perceptions of safety were lowest in Ylöjärvi (80 percent felt safe), Nokia (87 percent) and Tampere (89 percent). Tampere accounted for almost 4,000 respondents, while Ylöjärvi and Nokia contributed about 430 and 540 respectively.

Survey authors and local officials say the results reflect both real problems and the influence of local publicity. Teemu Partanen, head of risk management, pointed to media coverage of hotspots such as Kuru in Ylöjärvi and Linnavuori in Nokia as a factor, and Noora Kannisto, head of preventive work, said fear of drugs can persist even where direct encounters are limited.

People with mobility or functional impairments, ethnic minorities, women and non-binary people, and families with children reported higher levels of unease. Respondents flagged shops, bars, parks, underpasses, transport hubs, main streets and stadiums, especially at night or with poor lighting, as places they find frightening. Fewer than half reported having bottled water to meet the national 72-hour emergency recommendation.

The findings follow recent local initiatives to expand street outreach and mirror earlier police data noting a worsening pattern of drug-related problems in the region the city expanded street outreach programmes and police statistics highlighting drug-related trends.