Border management operators and responsibilities

Responsibility for performing the duties of the Border Guard rests with nine administrative units. These units are the Border Guard Headquarters (which also operates as the Ministry’s Border Guard Department), the Southeast Finland Border Guard District, the North Karelia Border Guard District, the Kainuu Border Guard District, the Lapland Border Guard District, the Gulf of Finland Coast Guard District, the West Finland Coast Guard District, the Air Patrol Squadron and the Border and Coast Guard Academy.

The Border Guard Headquarters — the Border Guard Department of the Ministry of the Interior

The Border Guard Department is one of the Ministry’s departments, but also serves as the national headquarters of the Border Guard. The Department is headed by Rear Admiral Markku Hassinen, Deputy Chief of the Border Guard.

The Department handles legislative and international matters as well as matters relating to the guidance of subordinate administration in the fields of border control, border checks, maritime search and rescue, prevention of environmental damage in maritime areas and combating crime.
The Border Guard Department is responsible for the Border Guard organisation and overall regional planning, financial management, performance guidance, procurement, human resources and other matters under the purview of the Ministry and the Border Guard.

Border guards and coast guards trained at the Border and Coast Guard Academy

The Border and Coast Guard Academy is located in Imatra and the Coast Guard Training Unit in Turku.

The Border and Coast Guard Academy provides higher vocational education and continuing professional development training for Border Guard staff and continuing professional development training for representatives of other agencies cooperating with the Border Guard. Training is provided in both Finnish and Swedish. The Border and Coast Guard Academy is responsible for the recruitment of border guards at the national level.

Inquiries

Marko Turunen, Deputy Chief of Division, tel. +358 295 421 104, [email protected]