Together with other authorities, the police carried out an intensive monitoring operation of waterfowl hunting at the start of the season on 20–25 August 2024. The police spent more than 600 working hours, or around 90 full-time equivalents, during the period concerned.
The monitoring operation focused on key local and regional themes and was carried out together with other authorities. In Southern Finland, where the hunting season has not yet started, the monitoring operation was targeted at sea areas. Elsewhere, besides hunting, the monitoring operation included fishing.
Few hunters than in earlier seasons
The authorities carrying out the monitoring operation encountered around 460 hunters personally, which is almost 300 contacts fewer than in earlier year. As the number of contacts indicates, there have been considerably fewer hunters this season compared to earlier seasons. One major reason for this was the very windy and unsettled weather prevailing in the early days of hunting. Such weather is not conducive to hunting.
Sixteen admonitions and three fine requests were issued and two police reports were filed. The numbers were lower than in earlier years. Nationally, compliance by hunters is very good, and the infringements detected during the monitoring operation were minor.
In the case of hunters who have committed offences or infringements, the police will always consider, as an administrative measure, whether there are grounds to intervene in a person's permit to possess firearms. This does not necessarily lead to further action, but is part of the police's active licensing control.
Feedback from hunters indicates that the monitoring operation was welcomed and considered very necessary. Wilderness control in cooperation with the authorities is widely perceived as a positive and necessary task. The National Police Board thanks hunters, partners and police departments for the successful monitoring theme.
Police departments will report in more detail on the local results and observations of the operation.
