Police Disperse Thousands at Pyynikki Beach After Dangerous Fireworks Use

Police of Central Finland dispersed a gathering of several thousand youths at Pyynikki beach and nearby park areas in Tampere on Saturday evening, according to YLE.

Multiple patrols intervened after reports of intoxication, disorderly conduct and especially dangerous use of fireworks. Officers broke up the large crowd at around 10 PM and ordered youths to leave the Pyynikki beach area. Five young people were taken into police custody for intoxication and disruptive behaviour. One is suspected of resisting an officer.

Ostrobothnia police also received numerous emergency calls during the night toward Sunday about young people firing rockets. They released excerpts of those calls that described groups "shooting rockets at people", roughly "40–50 youths firing at cars and into yards", and incidents where a mailbox was blown up and rockets were fired low, nearly striking bystanders.

The incident follows intensified youth-focused patrols in Tampere this spring targeting alcohol and hazardous conduct and a three-week operation in May that removed hundreds of disruptive people from the city centre police statistics show.