Finland’s public authorities made a record number of mistakes last year, the national daily Helsingin Sanomat reports.

“Legality controllers discovered more cases of negligence and illegalities in the activities of public authorities last year than ever before.

The Ombudsman resolved 4,538 complaints last year of which 791 led to the authorities being reprimanded. The amount of both complaints and reprimands is greater this year than any previous year. The amount of both grew rapidly in the years 2001-2009.

The other legality controller, the Chancellor of Justice, discovered a slightly greater number of cases of negligence last year than at any other time in the past decade.

In recent years, the Ombudsman has identified the most cause for criticism in the activities of the social and healthcare service authorities, the police and prisons.

“In the majority of cases the authorities’ actions were not illegal. They could, however, have operated in a different way to make sure that basic rights and human rights were better respected,” says Ombudsman Petri Jääskeläinen.”

HELSINGIN SANOMAT 22 AUGUST. LASSE KERKELÄ