The police do not see an immediate need to reform the legislation related to the use of drugs.
Drug users are not the primary target group for narcotics crime prevention by the police. The priority is to intervene in the supply, dealing and import of narcotic substances.
“In the view of the police, addiction is basically a public health problem to be addressed by means of harm prevention,” says National Police Commissioner Seppo Kolehmainen.
However, the police have a specific role in this, too, including co-operation and co-ordination with other authorities, referral for treatment and other preventive measures.
Drug use is revealed in connection with other offences
Chief Superintendent Teemu Saukoniemi of the National Police Board says that many drug users get caught when the police intervene regarding other problems, such as disorderly conduct or drunk driving.
This is also supported by statistics. For example, in 2017, 16,992 cases of unlawful use of narcotics were reported to the police, involving a total of 11,038 persons suspected of various offences. Of these, the unlawful use of narcotics was the most serious offence as regards 3,221 people, and as regards 7,813, a more serious offence was involved. Most of these were cases of driving under the influence, in which the intoxicant was suspected to be a substance other than alcohol.
Saukoniemi points out that the police are under a statutory obligation to conduct a pre-trial investigation. A pre-trial investigation must be conducted when, on the basis of a report made or otherwise, there is reason to suspect that an offence has been committed. For instance, in the case of narcotics offences, the police have little room for discretion in situations where there is reason to suspect a person of drug use.
“In some less severe cases, we may propose to the prosecutor that the pre-trial investigation should be restricted or the procedure of a caution, as defined in the Criminal Investigation Act, should be used. The so-called reprimand procedure, led by the public prosecutor, may also be applied in the case of under-age first-time offenders suspected of narcotics offences,” says Saukoniemi.
He emphasises that the aim is to guide young people to give up the use of drugs.
Narcotics crime prevention improved in the Helsinki region
Narcotics crime prevention in the Helsinki region has undergone intense improvement in recent years. To enhance collaboration, the Helsinki, Western Uusimaa and Eastern Uusimaa police departments have set up a joint team, in which the Customs Investigation Service has also participated.
Moreover, the situation has been discussed in a working group, which decided to develop the collaboration on the basis of the current unit model. The functionality of collaboration and the development of information exchange in operations has been assessed, under the leadership of the National Police Board, among others in the audits of narcotics crime prevention in police units.
National Police Commissioner Seppo Kolehmainen considers the situation greatly improved in narcotics crime investigation in the Helsinki region.
“Co-operation has enabled us to identify acute co-operation needs and reduce overlaps,” he says.
