Entering international positions

Work in governmental positions offers the opportunity to enter international duties. Finnish experts are hired by the European Union (EU), United Nations (UN) and research organisations, for instance. 

Finland participates in international civilian crisis management. In this capacity, Finland sends experts to operations run by the European Union and international organisations. 

Opportunities to enter international positions in the police

Finnish Police make use of several forms and channels of international cooperation. This calls for extensive cooperation between different authorities. A professional international career requires cooperation skills, linguistic proficiency as well as problems-solving skills. Finnish Police have international positions in all types of operation. A person belonging to the police personnel can also be dispatched to serve a stakeholder overseas. 

Liaison officers are stationed in places vital for preventing crime

Finnish police have a liaison officer network overseas. They are often positioned at Finnish embassies for a fixed term. Their duty is to produce information on their host country of relevance to the police. The network contains police officers in the service of police administration as well as special experts working for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The liaison officers of Finnish police are stationed in places vital for preventing crime. 

Police experts engaged in civilian crisis management

The police support training and applying for international civilian crisis management positions in accordance with their objectives. Civilian crisis management means restoring peace and stability in crisis areas through non-military actions. International civilian crisis management operations require experts in various fields, including policing. Finnish police officers can attend separate training and apply for such positions. There are different types of positions, which often require experience of police operations in the home country. 

CEPOL’s exchange programme for officeholders

European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training CEPOL runs an exchange programme for officeholders. Its purpose is to increase cooperation between law enforcement authorities, mobility and good practices within the EU. The exchange programme has two dimensions: 

• A participant is selected for the programme from two Member States.
• The participants spend five working days in one of the two Member States, hosted by a colleague.

The goal of the exchange programme is that the participant’s whole unit will benefit from it.

International responsibilities in police cooperation

It is important for Finnish police that Finnish police officers, too, are represented in important information exchange and international cooperation positions. Personnel who already have received working experience in Finnish police administration have access to a wealth of international career opportunities. Police-related tasks are offered by the following international operators, for instance:

• European Union Law Enforcement Agency (Europol) 
• European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (Cepol) 
• European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) 
• eu-LISA, European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems 
• International Criminal Police OrganisationInterpol. 

Holders for the positions are often selected through a special procedure. In addition to the actual organisation, Finnish Government and the police participate in the selection process. 

For further information on international positions, see the  websites of the relevant organisations.