Senior constables Toni Norppa (left) and Ari Martelius patrolling the centre of Helsinki. At the beginning of last year, the number of local police departments fell from 90, based on the former system of jurisdictional districts, to the current 24.

A series of high-profile cases of wrongdoing have not dented the reputation of the police.

SUSPECTED cases of malfeasance in recent years do not appear to have undermined Finns' faith in the police.

According to the latest "police barometer", Finns faith in the police force has strengthened slightly over the last three years. Ninety-six per cent of respondents felt that the Finnish police are either very trustworthy, or fairly trustworthy.

Police officers have recently been found in the dock as a result of operations by the Helsinki drug crime squad, undercover purchases by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), failures in the lead-up to the Kauhajoki shootings, and the rape of teenage girl. All of these affairs are awaiting treatment in a Court of Appeal, though some have been dismissed by District Courts.

Speaking at a 25 August press conference, Minister of the Interior Anne Holmlund (Nat. Coalition Party) was clearly delighted that individual incidents had not shaped the views of citizens.

"The trust enjoyed by the police force is of fundamental importance, and in my view indispensable. It has a direct effect on the police's ability to investigate crimes, and on general acceptance of the police's activities to guarantee the safety of society."

Problems handled openly

For Jorma Toivanen from the supervision and emergency action unit of the National Board of Police, the sustained vote of confidence comes as no surprise. When problems that emerge are handled in an open manner rather than covered up, confidence grows.

"This shows the people that the police's internal monitoring and supervision systems work. It'd be quite a different matter if people were left with the impression that officers prefer to wash their dirty laundry themselves and sweep these matters under the carpet", Toivanen said.

A smaller proportion of respondents – 14 per cent – consider it likely that the police may, for example, misuse information, deliberately leak it to the media, or mistreat those that they have detained. One in four believe that issues such as internal theft, misuse of state property, or sexual harassment of colleagues occur within the police force.

A more common suspicion was that citizens, companies or other parties try to corrupt the police or obstruct investigations.

"One danger is that people try to bribe the police. Organised crime is gradually establishing a presence in Finland, and their modus operandi begins with bribery. If that doesn't work, they move on to threats," Toivanen noted.

MIA PELTOLA – STT MATTHEW PARRY – HT
Lehtikuva - Heikki Saukkomaa