GOVERNMENT SPOKESPEOPLEhave again reiterated the importance of exercising caution when it comes to using fireworks, ahead of one of the busiest nights of the year for emergency services in Finland.

The divisional officer of the Länsi-Uudenman Rescue Services, Riku Rantala, has warned New Year’s Eve revelers to avoid using fireworks if intoxicated, saying that “if you’re too drunk to read the instructions on a packet of fireworks, you shouldn’t be using them at all”. 

LAST NIGHT SAW A SIGNIFICANT UPTICKin criminal incidents across Helsinki, as is typical during New Year’s celebrations. The Helsinki Police estimated that they were called out to a total of 360 separate incidents across the city, with drunken revellers being the main cause of trouble.

Dozens of people are believed to have been arrested or cautioned for violent behaviour while under the influence of alcohol, with an unusually high number of assaults being recorded on Monday evening.