Crimes committed by young people worry Finns: Police Barometer

Finns are particularly concerned about crimes committed by young people, firearms, and the use and sale of drugs in public places, according to the Police Barometer.

The police have defined crime prevention as the priority for next year, said police in a press release on Thursday.

“The goal is to investigate crimes committed by young people and children in real time. We are determined to combat serious criminal phenomena and maintain a good level of successful investigation of crimes,” National Police Commissioner Ilkka Koskimäki said at the oath-taking ceremony of new police officers in Tampere on Thursday.

Combatting violent crime has been raised as one of the most important priorities of the Finnish police for the first time.

“Tackling violent crime is a major challenge in a changed operating environment where drugs are present everywhere, mental health problems are clearly visible and information networks serve as an enabler of growing violence,” said Koskimäki.

The Commissioner also said that at the same time, the ongoing wars and international organised crime and terrorism also affect the perpetrators of violence in different ways in Finland as well.