Police: "This has been the most peaceful May Day in 40 years"
The number of emergency calls decreased significantly from last year. Much fewer cases of assault in public places have come to the attention of the police and there has been no increase in domestic violence.
Movement and meeting restrictions due to the coronavirus epidemic are also having an effect on the Vappu (May Day) celebration. According to the first provisional bulletin from the National Police Board, the night has been unusually quiet.
Police says the evening and night of May Day Eve (vappuaatto, in Finnish) were celebrated in exceptionally quiet fashion everywhere in Finland. Very few people were out and about in public places, and adherence to the restrictions and recommendations has been commendable, according to the assessment of the National Police Board.
No public events or meetings, forbidden during the emergency conditions, have been found in the areas of any police department so far. Neither were any large gatherings discovered during the evening and night.
The police have only had to intervene in a few individual cases of convening in public places. Some gatherings of young people did occur. In the majority of such cases, the police reminded the young people of the recommendations in force through advice and requests. Only a few gatherings were broken up by virtue of the Public Order Act.
Fewer emergency calls
”This has been the most peaceful May Day in my 40-year career in the police. The citizens’ level of compliance with the instructions and recommendations has been a pleasant surprise”, says Chief Superintendent Ari Järvenpää of the National Police Board.
According to preliminary information, the number of emergency calls has decreased significantly from May Day last year. Much fewer cases of assault in public places have come to the attention of the police than in recent years.
According to the knowledge of the police, restaurants have complied with the restrictions.
The majority of emergency calls have been domestic. In particular, exceptionally many calls have been made to the police due to noise. According to the information currently available, there has been no increase in the number of domestic violence cases reported to the police on May Day Eve.
No gatherings in May Day
May Day traditions include public events and spending time outdoors with friends. There will be no events at traditional May Day celebration venues this year. Police says those places should not be visited even in small groups, since many small family groups will quickly add up to a gathering of hundreds of people.
The police and other authorities recommend that if you are meeting friends, do so at home, in your own yard or somewhere in your neighbourhood. This May Day, you can have a picnic in your own yard, somewhere close to home or even in the local woods.
”We hope that people will have the patience to keep following the restrictions and recommendations despite the nice weather”, Järvenpää says.
This information is based on information received from police departments from 18:00 on Thursday 30 April to 8:00 on Friday 1 May.