The police in Finland use classical music to stop young people from partying. The authorities hope to use this strategy to solve the problem of garbage at the stands.
In the Finnish city of Espoo, police are taking an unconventional approach to stop young people partying on Haukilahti beach. As Yleisradio reports, classical music is played over large loudspeakers every evening at the end of the school year.
Mikko Juvonen of the Western Uusimaa Police Department told Yleisradio that this method is also used in other parts of the world and usually has the desired effect. “For some reason, classical music does not seem to go down well with young people and they stay away from places where classical music is played,” said Juvonen.
According to Juvonen, the strategy was first tested six years ago and was so successful that it has been repeated every year since then. Between 6:30 p.m. and 11:30 p.m., classical music is played on the beach in Epoo through large loudspeakers. This year, the playlist included pieces such as Strauss’ “The Blue Danube,” Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” and Schubert’s “Ave Maria.”
The main aim is to keep the young people away from the water. “It’s better for us to keep the youngsters on dry land, and it’s nice for families to come here in the morning and swim when the beach is clean,” he says, explaining that before the initiative, the beach was a popular place for end-of-school-year parties, which often left a trail of rubbish and broken glass.
However, locals’ reactions to the “classic strategy” are mixed. Some Espoo residents find the unconventional approach rather “strange”.
The Berlin Transport Association (BVG) has been testing a very similar strategy in a pilot project for two years. On the platforms of the Unter den Linden, Strausberger Platz, Südstern and Moritzplatz underground stations, lounge music is played alongside classical pieces, as the “Berliner Zeitung” reports.
To ensure that rail traffic can continue without disruption, the subtle background music is turned off during announcements or when the subway trains arrive. The BVG hopes that the classical music will create a quieter and more relaxing atmosphere in the city’s train stations and also keep homeless people and drug dealers out of the area who stay in the stations without authorization or for too long, according to the “Berliner Zeitung”.
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