The Finnish police use firearms on rare occasions. Even though individual situations involving the use of force sometimes receive a lot of public attention, it is important to examine the use of firearms by the police through statistics and changes in the operating environment, not just on the basis of headlines.

The police in Finland use a firearm on a very few occasions by international comparison

In Finland, the police have to discharge their firearm on an average of about 20 to 30 occasions per year in the course of their official duties. This figure includes situations in which targeted shots have been used to stop dangerous activities, including warning shots. It is therefore not only a question of situations involving the use of force where someone has been wounded or killed as a result of the use of a firearm by the police. In the long term, the number of cases involving the use of a firearm has remained stable, and incidents where a firearm has actually been discharged have not increased significantly.

Situations where the police threatens someone with a firearm and gives warning about the use of a firearm are also considered use of firearms by the police. These situations have increased considerably in recent years.

The use of a firearm by the police is extremely rare when proportioned to the approximately one million emergency assignments of the Finnish police per year. Finland’s figures are also exceptionally low in international comparison. This is due to factors such as the high level of police training. For the police, the use of a firearm is a last resort, and the police officers naturally try to avoid it until the very end. Every year, the police are able to solve many situations, which might involve the use of a firearm, with less dangerous means of force, such as a taser. The taser is used by the police about 500 times a year.

It is important to understand that simply taking out a police firearm or making it ready for action does not represent the use of a firearm in the legal sense. It is a question of preparing to use force in accordance with Chapter 2, Section 18 of the Police Act, not the use of a firearm.

The operating environment has changed

The operating environment of the police has changed clearly in recent years. Violent resistance to a public official has increased: in 2014, there were 1,559 cases, but by 2024 the number had gone up to 2,040. Between January and August this year, there has been an increase of more than 10 per cent compared to the previous year.

In addition, the police encounter an increasing number of situations involving self-harming or mental health disorders. In 2015, there were 11,619 such assignments, while in 2024 the number had risen to 18,443.

One alarming phenomenon is the rise in the use of synthetic narcotics, especially alpha-PVP. In these situations, the target person may behave unpredictably, violently and be almost immune to milder types of use of force, which increases the need for the police to prepare themselves more effectively.

The police have responded to the change in the operating environment

Cases where the police needs to threaten a target person with a firearm or give warning of the use of a firearm have increased over the past 15 years. According to the assessment of the police, this is not just a matter of improved statistics, but the increased number of related action is due to many things. The police encounter more knives and firearms in their duties than before. Some of the firearms later turn out to be real-looking replicas, such as pellet guns, but when the situation is ongoing, it is often impossible to know.

In recent years, the police have also focused on protective and use-of-force equipment for police personnel to meet the requirements of the changed operating environment. This can be seen in issues such as the fact that in addition to traditional pistols, the police have at their disposal supporting firearms, such as submachine guns or rifles, on their assignments to an increasing degree. As compared to the pistol, they are even safer for the target person and bystanders, because these weapons are capable of more reliable and accurate use of force.

The police have also become increasingly active in compiling statistics on the use of force more systematically than before. This is reflected as an increase in the statistics concerning the use of many types of force, even if the actual use of force has not changed significantly.

The use of a firearm is always a last resort and is done at a high threshold

Any incident that has led to injury to the target person of the police is always investigated by the Office of the Prosecutor General. This is never a routine procedure. A shooting can lead to legal proceedings and can also be a traumatic experience for an individual police officer.

The use of force is never without danger, whether it concerns physical restraint or the use of firearms. It is therefore important to point out that almost always the person who has to be subjected to the use of force has had the opportunity to refrain from violent or dangerous actions before the use of force by the police.

The discussion on the use of force by the police deserves statistical and factual examination. We cannot turn a blind eye to the risks that the police face in their work. Furthermore, we must not build a false picture of the everyday work of the police, where the police have to prepare for anything more and more often.

(Note: The writer is the National Police Commissioner, Finland)