Police in Helsinki arrive faster and solve more crimes than before

The Helsinki police have become more efficient despite an increase in the number of alarms and crimes. We have sped up investigations into serious crimes against children.

The number of police tasks has increased in the first six months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. Despite this, the level of service has increased significantly.

Patrols arrive faster than ever before in emergency situations and preventive patrolling in locations with reported disturbances is more effective than before. In addition, the results of criminal investigations have improved from last year.

Crime clearance rates have risen and investigation times are shorter. The number of suspected offences committed by minors has also decreased. The number of removals of foreign nationals from the country is clearly higher than in 2024, particularly for reasons of public order and security.

“Residents have clear expectations of police services and constant changes in the environment also requires continuous improvement of policing. The Helsinki Police has taken these demands into account. Our performance has developed excellently and we have especially focused on meeting people’s expectations, which has steered our development measures in the right direction”, says Jari Liukku, Chief of Police.

Faster response to emergencies and more effective control in areas with disturbances

In the first six months of the year, the Helsinki Police Department's number of alarm tasks increased by 12%. The number of alarms increased for all categories of urgency. Despite the increase, the police arrived on the scene faster than before for the most urgent tasks.  Alarm statistics include demonstrations and other long-duration tasks involving several police patrols.

“The number of surveillance tasks has doubled, meaning that the police are increasingly visible in Helsinki. Active surveillance improves safety in public areas and reduces the response time”, says Chief Inspector Henri Helminen.

In the first half of the year, 451 people have been removed from the country, 50 of whom were escorted. This is an increase of 175 people since last year, representing a 63% increase. Most of them have been Estonian and Romanian nationals, accounting for around 37% of the total.

Faster investigations into serious crimes against children

The number of crimes reported to the Helsinki police has increased by 9% in the first half of the year. Despite the increase in the number of crimes reported to the police, the clearance rate has risen and investigation times have decreased. Investigation times have also clearly decreased for serious crimes against children.

The biggest increase has been in petty theft, with 54% more cases reported to the police than last year. According to shop managers in Helsinki, shoplifters repeatedly cause disturbances and pose dangers to staff and customers.

All offences committed by adolescents have fallen by around 5% in the last year. A particularly positive development is the number of robbery offences, which have decreased by 34.37% for 15–17-year-olds and by 71.42% for those under 15.

“The decrease of robberies among minors shows that we have together with the City of Helsinki and other third sector parties succeeded in breaking the serious criminal cycle of young people”, says Detective Chief Superintendent Markku Heinikari, Director of the Criminal Investigation Unit.

No traffic fatalities in Helsinki in the last year

There were 788 drunken driving offences in the first half of the year, which is 15% more than last year. The police recorded 216 cases of aggravated endangerment of traffic safety, 6.9% more than last year.

“It is exceptional and gratifying that no one has been killed on the roads of Helsinki over the past 12 months. This shows that the long-term work to improve road safety, infrastructure and surveillance is paying off. In particular, urban planning, rationalising speed limits and improving conditions for pedestrians are clearly contributing to road safety. But the work is not over - our aim is to ensure that this does not remain the exception but becomes the new normal", reminds Superintendent Dennis Pasterstein, director of the traffic control function.

The aim of traffic surveillance is to reduce road fatalities and improve road safety.

Key figures for the first half of the year for the Helsinki Police Department