Police lessons for all schools in Finland

The police will increase their presence in schools in 2025. The ambition is to reach out to every schoolchild in the country this year - if not face-to-face, then at least remotely. Police online lessons will reach schoolchildren from Utsjoki to Hanko and from Korsnäs to Ilomantsi.

Responsibility for the lessons has been assigned to Southwestern Finland Police. A national School25 team was set up within the police department to provide national online lessons to all comprehensive and upper secondary schools in Finland.

The team also designs and provides lesson support materials for schools.

The team members come from various parts of Finland and are familiar faces on police social media channels: Ella Varis - a familiar face on the Stadinpoliisit snapchat account, Southwestern Finland Police social media police officers Minttu Hernesniemi and Jonna Finell - familiar faces on Instagram and TikTok, and Daniel Kalejaiye, whose most popular individual videos on TikTok have had up to 1.5 million views.

Focus on the wellbeing of young people

The School25 team is motivated and enthusiastic, and started work at the beginning of the year. Ideas are rapidly bursting into production.

“The first online lesson will take place in the spring and schools will shortly be informed about its timing and content,” says team leader, Chief Inspector Arttu Visuri at Southwestern Finland Police Department.

This is a unique and exceptional new approach in the police.

“We can't help but be enthusiastic about this, because it’s all about Finland's children and young people, all schools and the wellbeing of young people,” says Senior Constable Daniel Kalejaiye.

The police aim to use lessons and other content aimed at young people to improve students’ education on legality and police interaction with children and young people.

“Besides online lessons, we will also increase police presence and crime prevention content on the social media channels popular with children and young people,” says Senior Constable Minttu Hernesniemi.

Years of tradition of virtual lessons in Southwestern Finland

It is no coincidence that responsibility for the lessons was assigned to Southwestern Finland Police Department.

“We already have years of tradition behind us in implementing virtual lessons. We held the first lessons for schools in the region in spring 2021, after which they have become a permanent fixture as part of cooperation with the school community,” says Deputy Police Chief Maria Hoikkala at Southwestern Finland Police Department.

In four years, police lessons held in Finnish and Swedish in Satakunta and Southwestern Finland have attracted tens of thousands of children and young people to live streams and recordings of them. Lessons have also been held for guardians and school staff.

Nationwide virtual lessons are part of a wider school policing model being rolled out by the police in 2025, and €2 million of an extra €11 million granted to the police in the autumn government budget session will be used for school policing.

“Online lessons will not replace the face-to-face school visits by the police, quite the opposite. This year the police will step up their presence in and cooperation with schools by among other things increasing contact and consultation services, especially in problem-solving situations and by actively visiting schools,” Hoikkala points out.

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