Police Officer of the Year 2025 Sami Hätönen: From field work to training provider and developer

Superintendent Sami Hätönen, who works at the Police University College, has been chosen as the Police Officer of the Year 2025 in Finland. The nomination was announced on Wednesday 29 October 2025 at a seminar in Helsinki.

The Police Officer of the Year is selected in co-operation between the Helsinki Junior Chamber of Commerce, the Finnish Police Union and the National Police Board. This is an anniversary year, as the Police Officer of the Year was now chosen for the 50th time.

“Sami Hätönen’s ability to identify the right partners has led to the fact that it has been possible to introduce best practices into the operations of the Finnish police, and these practices have been transferred from the police to other authorities and partners,” the selection committee states.

Sami Hätönen has developed the management of police operations and emergency response technology, such as the use of unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, in police operations.

“Sami Hätönen has worked in a determined manner in developing the operations of the police in co-operation with other authorities and stakeholders. He has extensive networks both within Finland and internationally. This has been one of the grounds why Sami Hätönen is the Police Officer of the Year,” said Jonne Rinne, Chairperson of the Finnish Police Union, in describing the reasons for the selection. 

Theme: co-operation between authorities

This year, the theme of the Police Officer of the Year project was co-operation between authorities. The changed operating environment requires even closer co-operation between the security, health care and social welfare authorities and other parties in society.  
Development, influencing and co-operation

Sami Hätönen has nearly 28 years of very diverse experience in police surveillance and emergency duties and their development in various police units, the National Police Board and the Police University College.

Sami became interested in leadership as early as the beginning of his career. He considers that his admission to police sergeant’s training was the most significant turning point in his career. His desire to make a difference grew, and after he completed commanding officer studies, he started working as a chief inspector when he was under 30 years old. Sami feels that he has been able to influence things in many different ways and on many different levels during his career. 

Sami Hätönen is currently the Chief of the Competence in public order and security unit at the Police University College. The unit is responsible for both police degree training and supplementary training, in other words for the competence of practically all police officers working in surveillance and emergency services in Finland. 
In his speech at the event, Sami emphasised that the development of operations has always been close to his heart. Even good things can be made better. 

“We have developed our readiness to respond to our increasingly demanding duties. We have attained the capability to manage with even the most demanding situations: we prevent or stop serious acts of violence and solve even the worst crimes.”

Sami Hätönen has been able to join various networks and also create them. 

“As the most important networks, I would like to highlight the management of field operations and the instructor systems for unmanned aviation. I have had the pleasure and honour to work as the person responsible for these. There is strength in co-operation.”

Well-functioning co-operation between authorities is not self-evident, but it has required long-term efforts. 
“I am convinced that that the strength of co-operation created in everyday work will sustain us even in difficult times. Also when our own strength is not enough.”
Read Sami’s full story on the website Career stories, https://poliisi.fi/en/career-stories.

The strength of Finland is the ability to work together

In his speech at the Police Officer of the Year event, Tomi Vuori, Director General of the Police Department of the Ministry of the Interior, stated that Finland’s strength has traditionally been its ability to work together: effective co-operation between authorities is a critical success factor for the security of society as a whole. 
“The police have concentrated significantly on building new operating models, developing the exchange of information and joint training with the Border Guard, the Defence Forces and the rescue services, among others.”

The event included panel discussions on the themes of multi-authority activities, co-operation between authorities in terms of juvenile delinquency, as well as co-operation between authorities from the perspective of the Police Officers of the Year.

Tribute to police work and training 

Sami Hätönen is the 50th Police Officer of the Year in Finland.  He is grateful for having been selected to this position and considers it an honour to be recognised as a representative of commanding officers. 

“Reflecting on my own career, I would like to dedicate this acknowledgement to those who work in surveillance and emergency operations, especially in the field command system and in unmanned aviation. I further dedicate it to police training, which I am proud to represent,” he said at the event presenting the new Police Officer of the Year.

The Police Officer of the Year institution is 50 years old

The long-term goal of the Police Officer of the Year project originally initiated by the Helsinki Junior Chamber of Commerce in 1976 has been to highlight distinguished police officers. According to National Police Commissioner Ilkka Koskimäki, the Police Officer of the Year is a strong institution. The Police Officers of the Year have come from all parts of Finland - from Tornio to Turku and from Helsinki to The Hague.

“In the early stages, the criteria for rewarding were personal feats that had required courage, and preventive work. Nowadays, in addition to personal achievements, the title is also given in recognition of the sector represented by the Police Officer of the Year,” Ilkka Koskimäki said at the 50th anniversary event.

“It is important for us in the police that the title of Police Officer of the Year has been established by an independent party outside our own administration.”

Learn more about the diverse career opportunities of the police on the website Career stories, where you can find, among other things, Sami Hätönen’s story “From field work to training provider and developer” as the Police Officer of the Year 2025.