National Police Commissioner Seppo Kolehmainen: Police is prepared for new NATO tasks
The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine has caused our security environment to change in a fundamental and permanent way. According to National Police Commissioner Seppo Kolehmainen, our internal security and a good sense of security create the conditions and capacity to cope with the crises affecting the country’s external security.
- As Finland now is a member of NATO, the Police is charged with new tasks related to both the NATO capacity and to its operative support. We have identified four core areas which are hybrid operations, terrorism, host country support and resilience work, Seppo Kolehmainen said in his speech to new officer swearing their Police oath in Tampere.
- The Police has systematically prepared itself to the changes brought about by our NATO membership, and we are also fully prepared to take up these tasks.
At the same time, he underlined that in Finland, the first response to hybrid operations is the responsible of the Police, also taking care of the pretrial investigation, be it terrorist attacks, sabotages camouflaged as accidents, or attempts to undermine public order and security.
National Police Board survey assesses capabilities to respond to changes in operating environment
The forces of change affecting the Police operations are seen in many different directions. The National Police Board is soon publishing the so-called capital analysis which assesses the Police capabilities to respond to the changes in the operating environment.
This is an extensive whole which focuses on both the human, financial, structural and physical capital as well as that of relationships.
According to National Police Commissioner Kolehmainen, the Police will do all in its power to bridge the potential gap between the changes in the operating environment and the capabilities. If the current field of operations continues to expand, we have to think what kind of services and how large a staff and other resources are needed to provide the services for the Finnish people.
- The previous Government did enhance the Police funding, and the technical framework decision allows us to plan ahead on a longer term.
- We have been extensively heard in the negotiations for the new Government’s programme, and we have done our best to illustrate our views on how to safeguard the Police operating capacity.
- From society’s perspective, it would be vital that the trust in the Police and the Police’s capacity to safeguard all could be strengthened: in all situations, nationwide and equally, also under exceptional circumstances, he added.
Heidi Foxell was awarded the special distinction by the National Police Commander
About 120 graduates swore the ethical Police oath at the Police University College on 23 May. Most of them graduated in 2022.
One of the sworn in Police officers, Heidi Foxell was awarded the special distinction by the National Police Commander. Despite extreme her extreme adversities on a human scale, she has proved stamina and exemplary perseverance by fighting to attain her dream to graduate as a police, despite the events that interrupted her studies ten years ago. Dreams come true where will is strong, the motivation of the award underlines.
The purpose of the ethical oath is to make the Police officers more clearly aware and own the values and best practices expected from the Police in Finland.
The oath is not legally binding but the purpose is to emphasise the responsibility associated with the work in the Police. The Police swearing the ethical oath promise, among other things, to respect everybody’s human dignity and rights and to act in a fair, honest and helpful manner. The Police ethical oath event was organised first time in January 2001.
