Residents in Vantaa’s Koivukylä avoid station area after dark due to safety concerns

Residents of Koivukylä in Vantaa, Finland, describe the area around the train station and the nearby Hakotori shopping centre as unsafe, particularly after dark, citing drug use and public intoxication, Yle reports.

Eastern Uusimaa police conducted a major raid in the area on Monday targeting open drug dealing. Locals say groups using alcohol and drugs are present from early morning, with activity intensifying at night.

Selma Dogan, who has lived in Koivukylä for nearly four years, passes through Hakotori daily on her way to work. She describes the area as unsettling regardless of the time. “People shout sometimes, but I’ve learned to ignore it. Still, I always feel unsafe here,” she said.

Nora Uski, who has lived in the area for two years, avoids the station and shopping centre after 8 pm. “I’m a woman living alone, so I don’t come here late for my own safety,” she explained. Reports of violent incidents, including a man wielding an axe and another brandishing a knife at the station in early April, have heightened concerns.

Some residents, like Sunil Shrestha, who moved from Nepal a year and a half ago, still find positives in the neighbourhood, such as affordable housing and good public transport. “There are people drinking from morning, but I haven’t felt threatened,” he said.

Locals hope for increased police visibility to improve safety. “It would be great if we could move around normally and the area became safer,” Uski said.