In the decision of 8 May 2020, the Parliamentary Ombudsman found that the police should not have issued fines in cases where the driver did not actually cross the regional border of Uusimaa.
The police will review the fines and contact the fine recipients and the prosecutor. The police acted within its powers when serving notice of the fines, which the prosecutor considers independently.
In the National Police Board’s view, clarifying the detected errors is important so as to ensure that the legal rights of citizens have not been infringed.
“The National Police Board has today sent a letter to the police units, instructing the police departments to review the decisions made in connection with the monitoring of restrictions on the movement of people into and out of the Uusimaa region, and to ensure that any errors will be rectified. Where errors are detected in matters transferred for consideration to the prosecutor, the police departments have been asked to contact the Prosecutor General, who will act as the contact person in matters requiring cooperation between the prosecutor and the police, states Chief Superintendent Janne Paavola from the National Police Board.
The emergency management organisation led by Helsinki Police Department was in charge of the monitoring
The emergency management organisation led by Helsinki Police Department was tasked with monitoring that the regional border of Uusimaa would only be crossed on the basis of the grounds laid down in the implementing regulation of section 118 of the Emergency Powers Act. The emergency management organisation very quickly set up dozens of control points within the immediate vicinity of the regional border of Uusimaa. The requirements for the control points were that people approaching the border would be able to see the control point well in advance, that traffic stops could be implemented safely, and that turning a vehicle around would be possible at the control point if necessary.
Monitoring of the Uusimaa border was a very extensive operation, and the preparations had to be carried out quickly. The Helsinki Police Department received information on the applicable provisions only about two hours before they became effective.
The police monitored traffic at the border of Uusimaa from 28 March to 15 April 2020. During the period that the movement restrictions were in force at the Uusimaa border, the police checked 549 450 drivers, of which 4 383 were turned back as they did not have a valid reason for crossing the border. The police issued 117 fines and 159 cautions.
