In February, the police will publish a new agreement template concerning executive assistance in large game matters (SRVA) between police forces and game management associations.
The National Police Board of Finland, Finnish Wildlife Agency, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland and representatives from the Finnish Hunters’ Association have together drafted a new SRVA agreement template. Whereas the new template does not change the matters and principles applied in existing agreements, the agreement has been updated to make it clearer and less ambiguous. The only real substantive change concerns the compensation payable to the police for tasks involving driving away or killing large carnivores and wild boar. Following the signing of new agreements, compensation will increase from €400 to €600 for each task completed.
Under the agreement, the local police department and the game management association agree that the game management association will, within the area in which it operates, maintain a capability to track, kill and appropriately recover and dispose of cervids injured in traffic accidents or otherwise, or removed for other reasons. It also provides for the tracking, killing or driving away of large carnivores and wild boar in situations where the police are responsible.
The police do not have sufficient resources for the tasks specified in the agreement, which is why the assistance maintained and provided by game management associations in accordance with the agreement is invaluable not only from the aspect of the police but also from the perspective of society as a whole. There are approximately 14,500 tasks under agreements each year with around 120 of these tasks involving large carnivores.
A game management association is a local game administration unit whose area of operation covers one or more municipalities or, within village boundaries, part of a large municipality. A game management association is responsible for promoting sustainable game management in its area of operation, for promoting and organising voluntary activities by hunters and for carrying out the public administrative tasks assigned to it.
However, there is no rush to renew the agreements between police departments and the 278 game management associations. The existing agreements, which are valid indefinitely, are still in force. There is no particular need to renew the agreement, as the matters to be agreed and the principles of the agreement remain practically unchanged, except for the increase in the level of compensation.
