Top ranking police official sacked for far-right views

The Southeastern Finland police department has terminated a top ranking police officer for lack of credibility due to his extremist and far-right views, said police in a press release on Thursday.

The dismissed official was working as a commissioner in the surveillance and emergency response unit in Kouvola.

The authority took the action against the official following a wider investigation conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation and National Prosecution Authority.

The agencies investigated into the connections of the police official with far-right activities since 2020.

The Southeastern Finland police department took the measures to curb right wing radicalism in the department since early 2022.

Terming the trust as a precondition for police activities, Chief of Southeastern Finland police Ari Karvonen said that after all it is a matter of trust and suitability for police duties and such issues are not considered lightly.

Earlier in January this year, the Helsinki Police Department dismissed one police officer in a larger case related to far-right ideology.