Midsummer: 100 domestic violence reports, 90 people taken to drunk tank

The Midsummer weekend was a busy one for the police. Ninety revelers were taken to sober up and 105 cases of domestic violence were reported, said Ivo Utsar, the Police and Border Guard Board's operations manager.
"When it comes to the weekend, it was a busy one for the police. The police checked the sobriety of a total of 17,000 drivers, 60 of whom had consumed alcohol. The police recorded more than 120 speeding violations. There were six traffic accidents with casualties, and seven people were injured," Utsar told ERR on Monday.
Utsar said that the challenges were mainly related to alcohol, and 90 people were taken to sober up in drunk tanks.
"There were also cases where, in addition to fists, it was decided to use a knife. On Sunday night, there was an incident on the stage in Kadrina where a 39-year-old man hit two concert guests. The security team arrested the man and the police took him to sober up. On Saturday, at the midsummer bonfire in Pihtla village in Saare Municipality, a man threatened his brother with a knife. The police arrested the attacker," he said.
"The saddest thing is that there were 105 cases of domestic violence," said Utsar.
Utsar stressed that anyone who drives on Monday should make sure they are completely sober before getting behind the wheel.
Peaceful night for Rescue Board

Midsummer's Day and night passed peacefully and without any major incidents, said Toomas Kääparin, head of the Rescue Board.
"I am very pleased to say that there were no water accidents and no fatalities. And no one was left without a home because of the fire. There were no major emergencies," Kääparin told ERR.
"We have had 124 events, which is a little more than on a normal day, but very peaceful in terms of Midsummer," he said.
Most of the incidents were connected to bonfires. There were 50 in total, half the number in 2023.
"People were worried that their neighbors hadn't stopped their Midsummer Night's fire, or that they had seen smoke somewhere. There were more fires, but they were done very sensibly. By the time the emergency services arrived, the bonfires were generally under control and extinguishers were available," Kääparin said.
He said this shows the agency's preventive work has had a positive impact.
In total, rescuers received 233 calls during the weekend.
Kääparin still reminded people that if they plan to make a fire today, they should do it very carefully, because the forests are currently dry.
This article was updated with information from the Rescue Board.
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Editor: Kadri Põlendik, Aleksander Krjukov, Helen Wright