Major police operation at Gradia educational institution in Jyväskylä deemed baseless after weapons report

A major police operation took place on Thursday at the Gradia educational institution in Viitaniemi, Jyväskylä, following reports of an individual armed with a weapon. The alarm was ultimately deemed baseless, and police do not suspect anyone of a crime.

At the time of the incident, student Roki Björnholm was in building F, where he and approximately ten other students were instructed to take shelter in a classroom. Björnholm reported that there were no staff present, leading to a prolonged state of uncertainty for the students. None of them had the Secapp app, which educational institutions can use for mass messaging. “We haven’t really been made aware that the app is necessary,” Björnholm said, noting they were told that announcements would provide updates.

The first announcement came about 45 minutes after they were confined, according to Björnholm, who stated they were locked down for roughly two hours, during which three announcements were made—two asking students to remain in their classrooms and the third indicating they could leave. He expressed concerns that not all announcements reached them due to the building’s age and previous issues with sound transmission.

Gradia’s director, Anssi Tuominen, acknowledged the need for improvement in communication during crisis situations, noting that mobile phones are not always readily available. He praised the overall response of students and staff, emphasizing the importance of practicing such scenarios. Gradia holds annual safety walks for both students and personnel to familiarize them with safety procedures and protocols. Tuominen confirmed that the expansive campus—covering 50,000 square meters and housing 415 separate rooms—complicated the police’s efforts to clear the area before allowing people to move freely again.