Festivals keep police busy in southern Finland over weekend

Police in the Häme region of southern Finland handled more than 700 incidents during a busy weekend marked by festivals and traffic violations.

The Häme police force reported 701 separate tasks logged from Friday through Sunday morning, including dozens of arrests for public intoxication and disorderly conduct.

Nearly 40 people were detained for being intoxicated or causing disturbances. Police also recorded multiple cases of drunk driving, four of which were classified as aggravated.

The Mellakka festival in Hämeenlinna contributed roughly 20 incidents, leading to eight detentions and several criminal reports, including assaults and resisting officials. Two individuals were found with small amounts of narcotics during security checks.

In Lahti, a heavily intoxicated driver was stopped after allegedly driving toward police at 1.81 per mille. The 50-year-old man, already banned from driving, faced charges including aggravated drunk driving, unauthorized vehicle use, tax-evasion-related offenses, and vehicle violations.

“It was expected to be a busy weekend, especially with the Mellakka festival drawing large crowds of young adults,” said Detective Superintendent Juha Pynttäri.

While routine summer weekend reports were higher than usual, overall crime levels remained relatively low.