Police raid Tallinn’s Pirita over nighttime bangs

Police conducted a late-night operation in Tallinn’s Pirita district on Friday after young people disturbed residents with noise and loud bangs, ERR reported. Police say offences by schoolchildren increase by about 10% during school holidays.

In the Merivälja neighbourhood, young people gather in the evenings near a shop or in a park. Those seen on Friday were estimated to be between 10 and 15 years old, with some possibly younger. Residents said they often hear bangs in the area at night.

The young people who spoke to ERR said they were not the ones setting off firecrackers. They also did not want to meet with police. Police senior commissioner Mari-Liis Mölder said it can be difficult to identify who is responsible.

“We haven’t made this a focus, because young people are seeking attention so that police will respond and they can create more content for TikTok,” Mölder said. Police said proceedings would be started against anyone caught breaking the rules.

Pirita district head Kaido Saarniit said gathering was not the problem; it became one when young people began disturbing others. He said the bangs could be heard beyond Merivälja, depending on what was being used. Saarniit said children should be given guidance at home. Security patrols will operate in Pirita and Merivälja through the end of the year.

Mölder said Estonia was not facing the kind of risk seen in France, Italy and elsewhere, where gatherings of young people have led to serious consequences.