Are the police the only party whose duty it is to prevent domestic violence?

I work as the head of Crime Prevention at the National Police Board. I have been following the news about domestic violence and have been amazed at the narrow perspectives concerning the prevention of domestic violence.

In the news article published in newspaper Helsingin Sanomat on 9 February 2026, Mikko Puumalainen, Assistant Chancellor of Justice of Finland, stated that Finnish legislation does not currently provide adequate protection for the victims of domestic violence, and the proposed solution was to amend the legislation concerning the pre-trial investigation. 

Is it really so that a reform of the Criminal Investigations Act, which regulates the investigation of crimes that have already been committed, is being proposed in order to improve the effectiveness of the prevention of domestic violence? Are the keys to combatting domestic violence in the hands of the police, the pre-trial investigation process and the criminal process? 

The social task of the police

The role of the police in combatting domestic violence is important, and there is clearly room for improvement in police operations. The National Police Board has recently issued a new guideline concerning the prevention of domestic violence (in Finnish). The guideline deals with the responsibilities of both field patrols and the criminal investigation process. It is clear that the guideline in itself does not bring about any change in the operations, but it requires the implementation and monitoring of the relevant matters, and the work also needs people to do it. 

It is the task of the police to investigate crimes, hold the perpetrators criminally responsible and break the cycle of crime. In the investigation of crimes, the role of the police in society in relation to other parties is unambiguous; the responsibility for the investigation of crimes has been assigned to the pre-trial investigation authorities. The police must also take the necessary measures to prevent domestic violence, above all through personal protection measures as well as the prevention and detection of crimes, but these measures already require some degree of concrete indication of the possible crime. 

Coercive measures and intelligence gathering powers provided for by law may also be used in the investigation and prevention of criminal offences, but their use must be necessary specifically for the purpose of investigating or preventing an offence. As an example, arrest and remand cannot be used solely for protection purposes.  Since coercive measures interfere with objects of legal protection safeguarded as fundamental and human rights, the use of coercive measures is a last resort and their duration must be limited to a minimum, in other words until the objective of solving the crime has been achieved or the crime has been prevented. 

Are criminal investigations, the use of coercive measures and the criminal process the only solution offered by society to combat domestic violence? Does the victim’s need for help begin only when the crime has already been committed or perhaps even before that? 

What is the ability of society to address the root causes of domestic violence?

Domestic violence usually comes to the attention of the police when the police respond to an emergency call or when the victim of the crime reports the matter to the police. In many cases, there has been violence for a long period of time before the police learn about the events. The root causes of domestic violence may include substance abuse problems, mental health problems or other life management difficulties. 

The pre-trial investigation process and the criminal procedure are not corrective processes; instead, their purpose is to ensure criminal liability. It is obvious that the victim of a crime must also be referred to the relevant services in connection with the pre-trial investigation to receive corrective help. The essential thing is that help is available and that the person is supported in understanding the importance of help and that the person commits themselves to the process in question. 

However, addressing the root causes must be separated from the criminal investigation as soon as possible. The criminal process should not play the main role in a situation where the victim primarily needs help to manage their life, make a decision to divorce or stop using intoxicants. The root causes are not eliminated by a restraining order, pre-trial arrest and remand, or a prison sentence. Moreover, the support and services needed by a victim of a violent crime should not depend on whether the matter comes to the attention of the police, whether there are prerequisites for a pre-trial investigation or other powers of the police, or whether the matter makes progress in the criminal process. 

Society must also provide processes for addressing the root causes of domestic violence. It is equally important to intervene in the prevention of violence against other vulnerable groups of people, such as children and the elderly. In addition to having effective operating models - such as risk assessment tools - the roles, responsibilities and obligations of the different parties must also be clearly defined. The efforts must be managed and supervised. Due to their social significance, preventive efforts must be the responsibility of the authorities, local administration and wellbeing services counties to the extent possible. In this way, it is also possible to enhance the powers and forms of co-operation that may be needed by different authorities. The police have and must have a small role in intervening in the causes of domestic violence. 

In conclusion

The Government Programme of Finland states that the need for legislation that obliges the prevention of domestic violence and strengthens local, regional and nation-wide structures for combatting violence will be assessed. This reform will hopefully create structures for the prevention of violence. On the other hand, it should be noted that a lot of things can already be done. As an example, the Social Services Act states that the wellbeing services county and local authorities must work together to monitor and promote the wellbeing of people in need of special support as well as to eliminate shortcomings and prevent them from arising. At the moment, however, it is unclear what the role and responsibility of parties such as domestic violence co-ordinators working in local administration are in the prevention of domestic violence. 

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. 

Ensuring the security of an individual is part of overall security in society, and it should not be left to the criminal process alone.

Help is available

If you have become or are afraid of becoming a victim of domestic violence, or if you are afraid of committing violence in a close personal relationship or have already committed it, read the guideline of the police on the Poliisi.fi website.