Police blog: Decisions related to animals are based on careful deliberations

Publication date 5.9.2022 14.16 | Published in English on 8.9.2022 at 15.38
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When the Police has to make decisions on animals, especially large predators, the deliberation is based on valid legislation, cooperation, careful consideration and updated instructions. This is the core message of Chief Superintendent Kai Vepsäläinen in his blog published at the Police website.

For a year now, a bear has been roaming the forests in Eastern Finland, with a pawn caught in a trap designed for catching small predator. Based on cooperation between various authorities and thorough considerations, a decision to put down the bear has been made which is the most responsible thing both from the natures and human perspectives.

- When a Police officer takes an official decision, they take it as a member of the organisation, in light of the current instructions and based on their personal expertise. Any criticism targeted at the person or attempts to pressure or even threaten the officer are thus not an effective way to criticize the decision taken but the case can, if necessary, be subjected to an official complaint procedure.

In his blog, Chief Superintendent Vepsäläinen underlines that it is characteristic of any operation by the authorities that they need to be capable of making decisions. 

– Even if natural diversity and animal health and safety are in the very core values of the Finnish society, sometimes the scales are tipped by such weighty aspects that cannot be ignored in decision-making.