Police statistics 01/01–30/06/2019

In the maintenance of daily safety, the Police are kept particularly busy in addressing urgent emergencies, flagrant threats to traffic safety, and cases of driving under the influence of intoxicants and drugs

The total number of the most urgent emergencies has increased while the amount of response time required has decreased. These issues emerge in the Police statistics covering 01/01–30/06/2019.

The overall number of emergencies addressed by the Police has slightly decreased in comparison to last year. On the other hand, the most urgent Class A emergencies have increased over 26 per cent. The introduction of Erica, the new Emergency Response Centre system, has also evidently affected the growth of Class A emergencies, as the total number of Class B emergencies has declined about 13 per cent.

The growth in Class A emergencies is seen as a deterioration in the response time respective to the most critical incidents.

‘Access to venues in Class A urgency emergencies has not occurred as quickly as last year during the same period. Especially in areas of sparse settlement, the response time on the part of the Police is longer than in larger urban centres. The number of emergencies is, however, more weighted where most of the population is found. In growth centres, response periods are better than in sparsely populated regions,’ National Police Commissioner Seppo Kolehmainen explains.

Traffic violations have decreased, but incidence of driving under the influence of intoxicants and drugs has further increased

Normal threats to traffic safety have declined, but conversely the number of flagrant threats has grown. Last year over 4,000 serious threats to traffic safety were recorded. The current development suggests that the total number this year will exceed the previous year. Similar numbers of these offences last occurred in 2009.

With respect to reduction in the traffic violation figures, there is reason to note that the performance data concerning traffic violations are entered into the statistics with a three-month delay, so some of the performance data are missing.

The amount of driving while impaired has increased. The amount of alcohol-related impaired driving has slightly declined by comparison with the same time last year. The declining trend over several years in alcohol-related driving infractions is therefore continuing.

Conversely, driving under the influence of drugs appears to have further increased. Last year at this time, approximately 38 per cent of all impaired driving incidents were due only to drugs. At the moment, the equivalent share is already over 40 per cent.

Number of criminal offences decreased

Criminal offences were reported at the beginning of the year slightly less than last year at the same time.

According to National Police Commissioner Seppo Kolehmainen, the internationally noted ‘crime drop’ phenomenon is also appearing in Finland’s crime statistics as a reduction in overall criminality. During the last ten years, the total number of criminal offences reported to the Police has been declining, with the exception of a couple of years.

With regard to the rise in homicide, it is difficult to assess whether this is only a random deviation. As a result of the overall number of homicide-related crimes, individual events easily raise the percentage share in the statistics. During the last twenty years, the numbers of homicides have stabilised at the current level.

‘An interesting observation is that the reduction in the amount of crime is not visible in the police barometer results for 2018, according to which the crime situation was regarded as somewhat more serious than in the previous investigation in 2016. The sense of safety experienced by people is, of course, a matter that’s real to each person and can’t be explained by statistics,’ Mr Kolehmainen considers.

Total number of sex offences has increased

An exception to this declining trend in the overall crime rates is found in the number of reports concerning sex offences, which have grown during the last few years and, compared to the corresponding period last year, over 16 per cent.

According to the research, the total number of sex offences has not actually increased: rather, a change has occurred in reporting activity. The total number of reports is also increasing the appearance of long-term serial crimes, as a result of which many reports are recorded during a short period.

Of the sex offences reported, the suspect is known in approximately 67 per cent of the cases. Of these suspects, about 28 per cent are foreign citizens and, compared to the previous year, the proportion of foreigners has grown six percent.

There is reason to note that only the total number of reported crimes are found in these figures; nor do these figures thereby relate whether or not the number of perpetrators of crimes has increased. In other words, the same perpetrator may be suspected in several cases.

According to National Police Commissioner Seppo Kolehmainen, the accumulation of safety problems within a smaller population group as well as the concentration of these problems in certain areas indeed represent trends.

Internationality and technological development make the uncovering of crimes and their clarification more and more challenging

The investigation of crimes is affected by two great megatrends: internationality and the development of technology. These are reflected in drawn-out investigative periods and also as a decline in the clearance rates.

More and more crimes are being committed by exploiting technology, which also enables better anonymising for those who commit crimes. Technological development together with internationality enable crimes in Finland to be directly committed abroad.

According to National Police Commissioner Seppo Kolehmainen, these two megatrends have the most effect on the investigative resources of the Police, since both types of phenomena require expert knowledge and special equipment.

‘In addition, these factors of change are also making the investigation of crimes more expensive and more time-consuming. The Police have indeed already emphasised pro-active work for a long time, by which they try to both secure the safety of citizens’ everyday life and achieve cost-effectiveness at the same time,’ National Police Commissioner Kolehmainen points out.

Issuance quantities of personal ID documents at record highs

The issuance quantities of personal ID documents granted by the Police have further continued their dynamic growth relative to past years. ID cards have been issued during the first half of the year up to 145 per cent more than last year at the same time. Similarly, issuance quantities of passports have increased by 14 per cent. The biggest reason for the increased quantities is the expanded use of a personal ID and passport as a document to showing one’s identity.

It naturally follows from the increased issuance quantities that the valid number of personal IDs and passports is increasing all the time. At the moment, the personal ID limit has already exceeded one million, and the total number of passports and ID cards is over 4.8 million. Altogether, approx. 4.3 million people have a valid passport, ID card or both.

Statistical data concerning criminality and an operational environment analysis concentrated on criminality (only in Finnish) can be found on the National Police Board website at https://www.poliisi.fi/tietoa_poliisista/tietopalvelut

Police statistics 1.1.-30.6.2019 pdf, 322,8 kB

Police statistics 1.1.-30.6.2019, crimes comitted by foreign nationals pdf, 348,9 kB