Nordic police commissioners strengthened cooperation to combat street gang phenomenon 

National police commissioners from Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Finland convened in Helsinki on 22-24 August. The agenda included the war in Ukraine and its implications for Nordic security, the investigation of cybercrime, and street gangs. 

National Police Commissioner of Norway Benedicte Bjørnland, National Commissioner of Iceland Sigríður Björk Guđjόnsdόttir, National Police Comissioner of Finland Seppo Kolehmainen, National Police Comissioner of Sweden Anders Thornberg ja National Comissioner of Denmark Thorkild Fogde. Photo: police, Mika Hakkarainen. 

The police commissioners reported on current policing issues in their own respective countries, including strategic and resources matters.
Police in the Nordic countries highlighted the importance of close cooperation in combating cybercrime and street gang crime.

“There are many similarities and similar concerns in security issues. All means of international cooperation should be drawn on as extensively as possible. Europol and Interpol play a key role as far as the police are concerned and the opportunities provided by NATO should also be explored. A high level of trust is maintained within the framework of Nordic cooperation,” says Seppo Kolehmainen, Finland’s National Police Commissioner.

“At the meeting, we stated unanimously that Europol offers a concrete mechanism to root out the street gang phenomenon,” Kolehmainen adds.

Speakers at the event were Jürgen Stock, Secretary General of Interpol, Lasse Aapio, Deputy Chief of Police at Helsinki Police Department, Antti Hartikainen, former head of mission for the European Union Advisory Mission for Civilian Sector Reform in Ukraine (EUAM), and Jari Liukku, head of the Serious and Organised Crime Department Operations Directorate Europol (ESOCC).

Cooperation improves Finland’s security

International cooperation id important because not all forms of crime respect national borders. Criminals are organised and operate in networks across national borders. National borders are of very little importance in information networks. 

Cooperation makes it possible to prepare for many threats in advance and so prevent their materialisation. Criminals can also be caught outside of Finland’s borders.

Nordic police cooperation takes place across borders both as local-level operations and at a practical level and as strategic cooperation directed by supreme police command.