Police officers intervened after a scuffle broke out during a protest held by the Nordic Resistance Movement, an organisation with the declared objective of establishing a national-socialist regime in the Nordics, in Helsinki on 6 December, 2016.
JHL states in a press release that it has encouraged its over 200,000 members to sign the initiative in order to ensure the number of police officers is sufficient to guarantee internal security, the efficiency of criminal investigations and the equal treatment of citizens.
“We support the idea that a minimum level for the human resources of the police […] is determined in the legislation,” says Kristian Karrasch, the head of bargaining at JHL.
Police resources, he argues, have already been trimmed to an extent that jeopardises the maintenance of public safety and the realisation of basic rights in Finland. “Response times have lengthened across the country. Crime clearance rates are hardly flattering and inquiries into economic crimes are not yielding results at a convincing rate,” he highlights.
He also admits that addressing the issue by means of a legislative revision is hardly straightforward. Under the current circumstances, however, it could be a realistic option to guarantee the resources, adds Karrasch.
More than 17,000 people have already voiced their support for the citizens' initiative. A minimum of 50,000 statements of support are required for a citizens' initiative to be presented to the Parliament.
Mikko Paatero, a former National Police Commissioner, has calculated that the upcoming cut of 10–15 million euros in the annual police budget is equivalent to the annual wage costs of approximately 200 police officers.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT Photo: Martti Kainulainen – Lehtikuva Source: Uusi Suomi
