The Helsinki Police Department and the children’s ensemble of the Helsinki Police Band, Nallekopla, will have a meet and greet at the Itis shopping centre on Friday 20 March. The shopping centre hosts an Eid al-Fitr celebration on Friday.
The Helsinki Police Department celebrates its 200th anniversary this year. The police will be involved in several events around the city to celebrate the anniversary. This Friday, the Helsinki Police Department and the children’s ensemble of the Helsinki Police Band, Nallekopla (‘teddy bear gang’), will participate in an Eid al-Fitr event at the Itis shopping centre. The event is for the whole family and has free admission.
Nallekopla will entertain visitors from 14.00 to 14.30 and from 15.00 to 15.30, and the friendly police info desk will be open from 14.00 to 17.00. The police lion will also make an appearance between musical performances.
“Events like these are important opportunities for us to meet with children and families and build trust in the police. It is essential for children to see at an early age that in Finland the police are trustworthy and easy to approach. You can always go to the police for help," says Chief Inspector Hanna Kiiskinen.
The Helsinki Police Band has been an integral part of the Police Department since 1947. In addition to its traditional concerts, the Police Band engages in important educational work among kids and teens in various formations. Positive interactions through music help foster trust in the police in childhood. This forms part of the preventive police work of the Helsinki Police Department.
School concerts given by the Helsinki Police Band have a combined audience of more than 30,000 kids and teens every year, from daycare to middle school. The goal with these is to engage children and adolescents in their day-to-day environment, to offer them musical experiences and to reinforce the image of the police as safe and approachable authority figures.
Eid al-Fitr is an Islamic holiday that marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. In Finland this year, it falls on 19–20 March.
