Inspired by the army to become a police officer 

Detective Sergeant Ismo Venäläinen
Eastern Finland Police Department, trainer and team leader, Police Officer of the Year 2023 

Being a police officer was not a childhood dream, but my interest in police work was sparked in the army, where I served as a military police officer in what was then the Savo Brigade in Mikkeli. In the autumn of 1990, as soon as I was discharged from the army, I decided to apply to the national police school and got in. However, I chose to study HVAC engineering at Mikkeli Institute of Technology instead. However, when I started studying, the choice didn't feel right, so I applied to the police school again. Police studies began in autumn 1992. 

After completing training at the national police school, I got a job in Heinola, where I spent three years working in the field, i.e. in public order and security operations. In the summer of 1996, I got a job in my home town of Mikkeli, where I moved on to crime prevention and investigation after a couple of months of fieldwork. I'm still on that path today. During my career, I have worked as a criminal investigator, deputy team leader and team leader mainly in long-term and complex criminal investigations. 

Nowadays I work as a trainer and team leader in the southern area of Eastern Finland Police Department. A team leader's day begins by reviewing the events of the previous day and ongoing acute criminal investigations. A team leader allocates cases to investigators and monitors the progress of case investigations. I think that one of my most important responsibilities is to ensure the wellbeing of investigators at work so that no one burns out under a huge amount of cases. A good and reliable team is also an important part of wellbeing at work. 

Criminal investigation is very interesting, challenging and diverse work. I especially like complex cases because solving a crime requires a lot of thought. Highlights in my career have included solving so-called "dark homicides", where the perpetrator has not been caught at the scene of the crime, but his or her identity and association with the crime must be established by investigative means. Of course, another highlight in my career was receiving the Police Officer of the Year award in 2023.