Skip to content
  • Finnish Government
    • Prime Minister's Office
    • Ministry of Defence
    • Ministry of Transport and Communications
    • Ministry for Foreign Affairs
    • Ministry of Finance
    • Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
    • Ministry of Justice
    • Ministry of Education and Culture
    • Ministry of Social Affairs and Health
    • Ministry of the Interior
    • Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
    • Ministry of the Environment

Valitse kieli:

This page is in Finnish. Go to the English site »

Or choose language:

Den här sidan är på finska. Gå till den svenska versionen av sidan »

Eller välj språk:

Dát siidu lea suomagillii. Sirdás davvisámegielat siidduide »

Dahje vállje giela:

Язык этого сайта финский. Перейти на русскоязычный сайт »

Или выберите язык:

Cette page est en finnois. Aller sur le site en français »

Ou choisir la langue:

Diese Seite ist auf Finnisch. Wechseln Sie zur deutschen Version »

Oder wählen Sie Ihre Sprache:

Tämä sivu on englanniksi. Siirry suomenkieliseen sivustoon »

Tai valitse kieli:

Choose language:

Den här sidan är på engelska. Gå till den svenska versionen av sidan »

Eller välj språk:

Язык этого сайта английский. Перейти на русскоязычный сайт »

Или выберите язык:

Dát siidu lea eŋgelasgillii. Sirdás davvisámegielat siidduide »

Dahje vállje giela:

Cette page est en anglais. Aller sur le site en français »

Ou choisir la langue:

Diese Seite ist auf Englisch. Wechseln Sie zur deutschen Version »

Oder wählen Sie Ihre Sprache:

Tämä sivu on ruotsiksi. Siirry suomenkieliseen sivustoon »

Tai valitse kieli:

This page is in Swedish. Go to the English site »

Or choose language:

Välj språk:

Язык этого сайта шведский. Перейти на русскоязычный сайт »

Или выберите язык:

Dát siidu lea eŋgelasgillii. Sirdás davvisámegielat siidduide »

Dahje vállje giela:

Cette page est en suédois. Aller sur le site en français »

Ou choisir la langue:

Diese Seite ist auf Schwedisch. Wechseln Sie zur deutschen Version »

Oder wählen Sie Ihre Sprache:

Tämä sivu on pohjois-saameksi. Siirry suomenkieliseen sivustoon »

Tai valitse kieli:

This page is in North Saami. Go to the English site »

Or choose language:

Den här sidan är på nordsamiska. Gå till den svenska versionen av sidan »

Eller välj språk:

Язык этого сайта северосаамский. Перейти на русскоязычный сайт »

Или выберите язык:

Vállje giela:

Cette page est en same du Nord. Aller sur le site en français »

Ou choisir la langue:

Diese Seite ist auf Nordsamisch. Wechseln Sie zur deutschen Version »

Oder wählen Sie Ihre Sprache:

Tämä sivu on venäjäksi. Siirry suomenkieliseen sivustoon »

Tai valitse kieli:

This page is in Russian. Go to the English site »

Or choose language:

Den här sidan är på ryska. Gå till den svenska versionen av sidan »

Eller välj språk:

Dát siidu lea ruoššagillii. Sirdás davvisámegielat siidduide »

Dahje vállje giela:

выберите язык:

Cette page est en russe. Aller sur le site en français »

Ou choisir la langue:

Diese Seite ist auf Russisch. Wechseln Sie zur deutschen Version »

Oder wählen Sie Ihre Sprache:

Tämä sivu on ranskaksi. Siirry suomenkieliseen sivustoon »

Tai valitse kieli:

This page is in French. Go to the English site »

Or choose language:

Den här sidan är på franska. Gå till den svenska versionen av sidan »

Eller välj språk:

Dát siidu lea fránskkagillii. Sirdás davvisámegielat siidduide »

Dahje vállje giela:

Язык этого сайта французский. Перейти на русскоязычный сайт »

Или выберите язык:

Choisir la langue:

Diese Seite ist auf Französisch. Wechseln Sie zur deutschen Version »

Oder wählen Sie Ihre Sprache:

Tämä sivu on saksaksi. Siirry suomenkieliseen sivustoon »

Tai valitse kieli:

This page is in German. Go to the English site »

Or choose language:

Den här sidan är på tyska. Gå till den svenska versionen av sidan »

Eller välj språk:

Язык этого сайта немецкий. Перейти на русскоязычный сайт »

Или выберите язык:

Cette page est en allemand. Aller sur le site en français »

Ou choisir la langue:

Wählen Sie Ihre Sprache:

  • Valitse kieli Suomi
  • Välj språket Svenska
  • Select language English
Media
Go to Sisäministeriö site frontpage
  • Frontpage
  • Areas of expertise
    • Police
    • Rescue services
    • Emergency response
    • Border management
    • Migration
    • National security
    • Civilian crisis management
    • Flag and arms of Finland
  • Current issues
  • Projects and legislation
  • Publications
  • Ministry
  • Contact
  • News
  • Sign up for news
  • Ukraine
  • Situation at the eastern border
  • Work Help Finland
suomiLue artikkeli suomeksi svenskaLäs artikeln på svenska English

Proposal for free provision of executive assistance to child welfare and social and crisis emergency services by the police

Ministry of the Interior
Publication date 18.2.2021 14.46 | Published in English on 19.2.2021 at 13.03
Type:Press release 20/2021
A child and an adult walking hand in hand.

The Ministry of the Interior has prepared a proposal on changing the decree on fees charged by the police. The starting point for the proposal is that the provision of executive assistance provided to child welfare and social and crisis emergency services by the police would be free of charge in the futur. The aim is to guarantee that the most vulnerable individuals, such as children, will receive the required assistance in acute situations.

The police charge a fee for executive assistance, excluding separately decreed exceptions. The fee covers the costs arising from the executive assistance. This fee is currently collected also for the executive assistance provided to the child welfare authorities and social and crisis emergency services.

“We are concerned that the child welfare and social and crisis emergency services would not ask for necessary executive assistance due to its costs, which could mean a delay in assistance to people in a vulnerable position. We want to make sure that this will not happen,” says Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo.

The fees for executive assistance provided by the police are regulated in the Ministry of the Interior’s decree on fees for police services issued in 2021. The Ministry of the Interior’s decree is based on the Act on Criteria for Charges Payable to the State.

The National Police Board issued instructions concerning the operative executive assistance provided by the police and its invoicing practices which entered into force in October 2020. The previously laid down decree on fees was brought up again in these instructions. After this, the police departments started to collect fees in a more harmonised manner – including for the executive assistance provided to the child welfare and social and emergency services.

Aim is to secure access to assistance for vulnerable individuals in particular

The Ministry of the Interior has prepared a proposal on changing the decree on fees charged by the police. The starting point for the proposal is that the provision of executive assistance provided to child welfare and social and crisis emergency services by the police would be free of charge in the future.

“We aim to guarantee that the most vulnerable individuals, such as children, will receive the required assistance in acute situations. When taking care of this task, the child welfare authorities and social and crisis emergency services sometimes need executive assistance from the police. After this change, there will be no need for the practitioner to consider the costs of the executive assistance related to these often serious and urgent tasks,” says Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo.

During the preparation, the relation between payment for executive assistance provided to the child welfare authorities and social and crisis emergency services by the police and Laki eräiden poliisin virka-apukustannusten korvaamisesta (Act on compensating certain costs related to executive assistance provided by the police, 259/1956) was reviewed. However, the Act entered into force in 1956 and its content is outdated in many places.

The proposal will next be circulated for statements. The parties providing statements are requested to pay attention to the aforementioned Act. After the round for statements, the preparations proceed as usual to enact the amendment to the regulation. 

The police incur costs while providing executive assistance

According to the current decree on fees, a fee in accordance with the absorption cost should be collected for the executive assistance provided by the police. In practice, this means a payment which covers the costs arising, for example, from police work and the wear and tear of equipment. Other authorities also perform duties which are subject to a charge.

According to the proposal, a cost price would not be collected for the executive assistance provided to the child welfare authorities and social and crisis emergency services by the police. This would exempt the municipality from the payment obligation concerning the executive assistance provided to the child welfare and social and crisis emergency services.

However, if the costs arising from the executive assistance were to be paid solely by the police, this would weaken the police’s ability to perform their statutory duties. Therefore, the draft to be circulated for comments proposes that the share not covered by the police, i.e. the costs arising from the executive assistance, will be reimbursed for the police. It is the normal practice for the costs of providing a service to be borne by the agency, in this case, the police.

Cooperation between authorities is not executive assistance

The police annually perform approximately 70,000 executive assistance tasks regarding the support offered to different authorities and parties. Simultaneously, the police are responsible for maintaining public order and safety as well as investigating and preventing crimes.

In order for the police to perform their statutory duties, it is important that executive assistance is requested from the police only when absolutely necessary. Therefore, the requesting authority’s own actions, resources and competence must be arranged so that it does not regularly rely on executive assistance to perform its core tasks.

The Ministry of the Interior emphasises that authorities cooperating with each other is not considered executive assistance.

Further information:
Heidi Kankainen, Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 295 488 335
Sameli Sivonen, Special Adviser (ministerial interview requests), tel. +358 50 406 6855
 

Maria Ohisalo
child protection department of law enforcement executive assistance municipal department of social services municipality's fields of activity

MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR
Sisäministeriö | Inrikesministeriet

Kirkkokatu 12, Helsinki
PO Box 26, FI-00023 Government
Tel. 0295 480 171 (switchboard)
registry.sm@gov.fi

About the site
Accessibility statement
Data protection
Sitemap
Questions and feedback

X (Twitter)
Instagram
LinkedIn
Facebook
YouTube

Search page
  • Frontpage
  • Areas of expertise
    • Police
      • Government Programme measures in the police sector
      • Crime in Finland
      • Organised crime
        • Fight against organised crime
      • Counter-terrorism
        • Counter-terrorism measures in Finland
      • Violent radicalisation
        • Action plan monitoring
      • Hate crime
        • Online targeting and shaming
      • Human trafficking
      • Economic crime and the shadow economy
      • Cybercrime
        • Tackling cybercrime
      • Firearms
        • Firearms legislation
      • Gambling
      • Fundraising
      • Public order and security
      • Private security sector
      • Agencies and responsibilities
    • Rescue services
      • Government Programme measures in rescue services
      • Rescue operations
        • Maritime search and rescue
        • Emergency warnings
      • Accident prevention
        • Chimney sweeping
        • Smoke alarms and other fire safety equipment
          • Smoke alarm
          • Responsibility for smoke alarms to change in 2026
          • Carbon monoxide and heat detectors
          • First-aid extinguishing equipment
          • Fire safety systems of buildings
          • Systems connected to the ERC
          • Supervision of fire safety equipment
          • Frequently asked questions about smoke alarms
        • Emergency plan
        • Fire safety
      • Preparedness
        • National risk assessment
        • Civil defence
        • Civil defence shelters
        • Preparedness guide
      • International assistance
        • International cooperation in civil preparedness
        • Civil Protection Mechanism
      • Rescue Services Strategy
      • Rescue service agencies and responsibilities
    • Emergency response
      • Emergency response centres
      • Services
    • Border management
      • Government Programme measures to reform border security
      • Border surveillance
      • Maritime search and rescue
      • Fight against environmental damage in sea areas
      • Smart Borders
      • Frontex cooperation
      • Agencies and responsibilities
    • Migration
      • Government Programme measures to reform migration policy
        • Stricter conditions for permanent residence permits
      • Agencies and responsibilities
        • Preparing for large-scale influxes of migrants
      • Migration and asylum policy
        • Family reunification
      • Refugees and asylum seekers
        • Quota refugees
      • EU migration and asylum system
      • Voluntary and forced return
        • Readmission agreements
      • Nationality
        • Preconditions for and effects of acquiring Finnish citizenship
        • Expatriate Finns
      • Combating irregular entry and stay
    • National security
      • Government Programme measures to reform national security
      • What is national security?
        • Critical Infrastructure Protection and Crisis Resilience Act
      • Civilian intelligence
        • Questions and answers about civilian intelligence legislation
      • Hybrid threats
      • Cyber security
    • Civilian crisis management
      • Finland's objectives
      • Finnish experts serving in operations
      • Recruitment and training
      • Agencies and responsibilities
      • Legislation
    • Flag and arms of Finland
      • Flag days
        • Flagdays 2025
        • Proposals for flag days
      • Flying the flag at half mast
      • Flying the EU flag
      • Order of precedence
      • About the flag
        • History of the flag
      • Arms of Finland
      • The flag and coat of arms in commercial activities
  • Current issues
    • News
      • News archive
    • Sign up for news
    • Ukraine
      • Civilian material assistance to Ukraine
        • Laptops for Ukraine
        • Civilian assistance sent from Finland
      • Helping Ukrainians
      • Temporary protection
      • Frequently asked questions
    • Situation at the eastern border
    • Work Help Finland
      • Accessibility statement
      • Privacy policy
  • Projects and legislation
    • Reform of legislation on civilian intelligence
    • Passport project
    • Strengthening crime prevention
      • Answers to questions about biometric data regulation
    • Reform of the gambling system
      • Questions and answers on gambling system reform
    • Shooting ranges project
    • Reform of the Citizenship Act
      • Frequently asked questions
    • Interoperability of data within EU information systems for security
    • Secure satellite communication services
  • Publications
  • Ministry
    • Tasks and objectives
    • Management and organisation
      • Minister of the Interior
      • Permanent Secretary
      • Departments and units
    • Branch of government
    • Joint strategy for the Ministry's administrative branch
    • Operations and finances
    • Government Report on Internal Security
      • Government Report on Internal Security 2021
        • Abstract of the Report in easy-to-read language
    • International and EU cooperation
      • Priorities in EU and international affairs
      • Sub-committees on EU affairs
      • Finland and Nato
    • Oversight of legality
      • Oversight of legality at agencies within the Ministry’s branch of government
    • Research
      • Sentimentti data tool
      • Strategic foresight
    • Funds
    • Ministry as workplace
      • Personnel
      • Responsibility
      • Ministry’s pay system
      • Applying for a job
      • Traineeships
    • Whistleblower protection
    • History of the ministry
  • Contact
    • Submissions for consideration
      • Submission form
    • Request for information
      • Information request form
    • Contact information of the management, departments and units
    • Communications Unit
    • Data protection
      • Information on cookies
    • Accessibility statement
    • Feedback