Police and domestic violence: Who is responsible for the prevention of domestic violence?

The role of the police in combatting domestic violence is important, and there is clearly room for improvement in the activities of the police, says Assistant Police Commissioner Minna Ketola of the National Police Board.

The National Police Board has recently issued a new guideline concerning the prevention of domestic violence, which deals with the responsibilities of both field patrols and criminal investigation.

Violence, and especially domestic violence against women, is a serious problem in Finland. However, ensuring the security of an individual cannot be left to the criminal process alone, as Minna Ketola points out in her blog. 

Violence is often caused by difficulties in life management

The root causes of domestic violence may include substance abuse problems, mental health problems or other life management difficulties.  

“It would be justified that Finland, just like Sweden, would have legislation that regulates preventive efforts. This legislation would define the responsibilities of the different parties, such as local administration, wellbeing services counties, crime prevention authorities and parties involved in the criminal process. This would also enable the monitoring of the effectiveness, economy and profitability of the efforts,” Minna Ketola points out in her blog.

Read the blog by Assistant Police Commissioner Minna Ketola: Are the police the only party whose duty it is to prevent domestic violence?

Help is available

The police encourage both the victim and the perpetrator to seek help for the problem of violence and the victim to report the crime.

The police website contains information on those who can help.