Helsinki Police chief Lasse Aapio. File Photo – Lehtikuva. The police have received many complaints during the fall about aggressive advances from foreigners in Helsinki, said the Helsinki police chief, Lasse Aapio.

According to him, complaints have come from, among others, the Children of the Station.

Incidents have occurred, for example, at Kansalaistori in the centre of Helsinki. Aapio recently made official statements regarding the new sexual offence phenomenon.

“A large group of men passed through the crowd groping women. In my opinion, this is a new phenomenon. We’re talking about groups of 30-50 men. We need 50 police officers to remove a group of that size from the area when intoxication and language are problems,” Aapio told the news agency STT.

According to Aapio, there have been cases involving individual aggressions in the past, but the situation in the fall has evolved into something larger.

He said the police are concerned about the situation, especially what could happen next summer, and he plans to take the matter up at the reception centres.

“We also need to have a conversation with the parents, because I think part of these groups consist of underage women acting as provocateurs. We have to figure out how to do this correctly, and from their perspective,” said the Helsinki police boss.

It’s a little different to bring up this concern, regarding the number of crimes or the role of the police in this matter, he said.

“This is also related to radicalisation. These are phenomena and trends, and we need to prepare for them in advance, not only reacting when the situation deteriorates,” he added.