How police reports are processed
Police reports are entered into the police’s case management system. Police reports filed online are copied into the case management system manually by the police. This can take a few days or weeks, depending on how busy the police is.
Insurance companies often need a copy of a police report before they can begin to process a claim. The confirmation email that you get from the online filing system is not a copy of the actual report. You will need to order a copy from the investigating police station during the opening hours of the customer service desk ro visit it and get a copy of the report. If you are filing a police report in person, you can ask for a copy of the report for yourself at the same time.
Once a case is opened in the police’s information system, a police report number is assigned. The police report number helps to identify the case and to find the associated information. The report number is shown at the top of the copy given to you.
The format of the number is 5500/R/12345/24, for example. The first number identifies the competent police department, and the letter R stands for the Finnish word for ‘crime’. The following digits are the actual report number, and the last two digits indicate the year in which the report was filed. Keep the police report number safe in case there are further enquiries.
Crimes are investigated by local police
As a rule, crimes are investigated by local police. Another police unit can also assume responsibility for an investigation. Police reports can be filed at any police station, but the officer who logs the report will forward it to the competent police unit. Most police departments have separate detective teams and units for different kinds of crime.
Before an investigation is opened, the police must determine whether there is reason to suspect that a crime has been committed. Not all police reports that are filed lead to a pre-trial investigation. No investigation is opened if, for example, a report relates to a dispute or another civil matter.
In addition to attending to the pre-trial investigation process, the police conducts other kinds of investigations, such as investigations into the cause of death, investigations into the cause of fire, missing person searches and investigations into the need to impose a business prohibition.
More information about the criminal process on the National Prosecution Authority’s website
