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Police The Ministry of the Interior guides and directs the police service, and prepares related legislation. The purpose of police work is to ensure the safety of people and the environment. The National Police Board guides and directs operational...

Police agencies and responsibilities Police agencies include the National Police Board, local police departments, the National Bureau of Investigation and the Police University College. The National Police Board directs the activities of the polic...

The police maintain public order and security The duty of the police is to secure the rule of law; maintain public order and security; prevent, detect and investigate crimes; and submit cases to prosecutors for the consideration of charges. The po...

Government Programme measures in the police sector The Government Programme aims to strengthen security and society's resilience. Police presence will be secured throughout the country. The Government will step up the combating of crime to improve...

28.5.2026 | The President of the Republic approved the bill on establishing a police reserve on Friday 22 May 2026. Today, the Government issued decrees laying down provisions on the possibility of appointing police students to the police reserve and on the studies required of reserve police officers.

25.6.2026 | The Government has submitted a government proposal for legislation on police criminal intelligence to Parliament. The proposal includes an amendment to the Police Act that would introduce provisions on criminal intelligence methods and their use in threat‑informed criminal intelligence. It would also strengthen the police’s secret intelligence collection powers used to prevent and detect individual offences.

21.5.2026 | The Government will establish a police reserve in Finland to ensure the police have sufficient resources in exceptional circumstances. In its session, the Government proposed that the President of the Republic approve the bill on establishing a police reserve on Friday 22 May. Most of the legislative amendments are scheduled to enter into force on 1 January 2027.

7.5.2026 | The Government proposes that the President of the Republic approve amendments to the provisions on the powers of the police to carry out undercover activities in an information network. The amended legislation is scheduled to enter into force on 1 August 2026.

16.4.2026 | The Government has submitted to Parliament a proposal for an act on the automated search and exchange of information for European police cooperation. The proposal would introduce amendments to national legislation required by the EU regulation known as Prüm II.

19.2.2026 | The Ministry of the Interior has today sent out for comments a draft government proposal for legislation on police criminal intelligence. The reform would enable the use of criminal intelligence methods in the fight against serious crime on a threat-informed basis. The deadline for submitting comments is 16 April 2026.

26.1.2026 | The Ministry of the Interior has supplemented the decree on fees charged for services provided by the police in 2026 with licence fees related to gambling services under the new Gambling Act. The new fees will be charged for an exclusive licence, a gambling licence and an authorisation for international cooperation for the holder of an exclusive licence or a gambling licence. The fees will also be charged for the alteration of an exclusive licence or a gambling licence.

5.3.2026 | The Government intends to establish a police reserve in Finland to ensure sufficient police resources in all circumstances. The threshold for deploying the reserve would be high. The Government submitted a proposal on the matter to Parliament on 5 March. Most of the legislative amendments are scheduled to enter into force on 1 January 2027.

31.3.2026 | The authorities and the state leadership are monitoring changes in the security situation, assessing future risks and ensuring that our society continues to function in all circumstances. Finland is not currently facing a military threat. 

18.12.2025 | The Government has submitted to Parliament a proposal to specify provisions on police powers to conduct undercover activities in an information network.

10.11.2025 | The Ministry of the Interior is requesting comments on a draft government proposal for the establishment and deployment of a police reserve. The aim is to ensure that the police have sufficient resources in all circumstances. The draft proposal also includes an amendment concerning the qualification requirements for the Master of Police Services degree. The deadline for submitting comments is 22 December 2025.

22.12.2025 | The Ministry of the Interior has issued decrees on fees charged by the police and the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service. The decrees will enter into force on 1 January 2026 and be effective until 31 December 2026.

19.8.2025 | The Ministry of the Interior has launched a project to review the provisions concerning powers related to undercover activities conducted in an information network by the police, who are the general authorities responsible for crime prevention. The project will run from 22 August to 28 November 2025.

29.8.2025 | Public trust in the police has remained stable for a long time. Of those who responded to the latest Police Barometer survey, 92 per cent trust the police a lot or a fair amount. Respectful treatment of people by the police and fair police activities affect people’s trust.

5.9.2025 | The Ministry of the Interior has sent out for comments a government proposal aiming to specify the provisions concerning powers related to undercover activities conducted in an information network by the police. The deadline for submitting comments is October 16, 2025.

26.6.2025 | The Ministry of the Interior has set up a legislative project to specify the powers of the police to intercept the path of unmanned aircraft, i.e. drones, and other unmanned devices. The aim of the project is to ensure the ability of the police to detect and identify drones and other unmanned devices, and to specify the regulation on the use of force to intercept the path of such devices.

16.1.2025 | The Government has issued a decree bringing into force the agreement on police cooperation in the border area between Finland and Sweden. The agreement will enter into force on 1 February 2025.

4.7.2024 | On Thursday 4 July, the Government appointed Licentiate of Laws, trained on the bench Ilkka Koskimäki as National Police Commissioner for a term of five years from 1 September 2024 to 31 August 2029.

10.4.2024 | A total of 8 candidates applied for the post of National Police Commissioner at the National Police Board by the deadline. The post will be filled for a maximum term of five years, starting on 1 September 2024. The National Police Commissioner is appointed by a government plenary session.

19.12.2024 | The Ministry of the Interior has issued decrees on fees charged by the police and the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service. The decrees will enter into force on 1 January 2025.

16.5.2024 | The agreement on police cooperation in the border area between Finland and Sweden will further improve the maintenance of security in the northern border area. The President of the Republic is to approve the agreement and the relevant bills on Friday.

3.9.2024 | “Next year’s budget proposal shows that the Government has the will to strengthen security. In Finland, help is available in times of need,” says Lulu Ranne, Minister of Transport, Communications and the Interior.

24.3.2023 | Superintendent Pekka Kokkonen, Head of the Police Dog Training Centre of the Police University College, has been appointed to serve as Senior Police Coordinator in the United Nations Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM).

24.8.2023 | On Thursday 24 August, the Government reappointed Tomi Vuori, Master of Laws with court training, as Director General of the Police Department of the Ministry of the Interior for the next five-year term (1 September 2023 to 31 August 2028).

15.11.2022 | Minister of the Interior Krista Mikkonen will meet Swedish National Police Commissioner Anders Thornberg in Helsinki on Tuesday 15 November. The meeting will focus on the current situation and measures concerning gang crime in Sweden.

15.7.2020 | The majority of Finnish people continue to have confidence in the police. According to the latest Police Barometer survey, a total of 91 per cent of the respondents trust the police a lot or a fair amount. Trust in the police has slightly decreased compared to the previous survey (2018: 95 per cent). Based on the results, the police have succeeded well in performing their most important duties and the work of the police is appreciated.

17.11.2022 | The provisions of the Police Act on secret intelligence gathering methods and apprehending wanted persons are to be updated and clarified. The Government submitted its proposal to Parliament on 17 November.

12.8.2021 | On 12 August 2021, the Government appointed Deputy National Police Commissioner Tomi Vuori, Master of Laws with court training, as Director General of the Police Department of the Ministry of the Interior. The post will be filled for the period from 16 August 2021 to 15 April 2025 but only for the duration that the holder of the permanent position is on leave of absence.

14.10.2021 | The Ministry of the Interior has launched a legislative project to make executive assistance provided by the police to child welfare and emergency social services free of charge. Free executive assistance cannot be implemented without a legislative amendment. The free executive assistance provided by the police would concern, for example, the search for a child who has left a child welfare institution without permission and the return of the child to the child welfare institution.

22.4.2021 | The new Act on the Processing of Personal Data by the Police entered into force on 1 June 2019. The Ministry of the Interior has sent a request for opinions to the police and police stakeholders on the effectiveness of the Act and its implementation. The Government must submit a report on the implementation of the Act to the Administration Committee of Parliament by the end of this year.

23.6.2021 | On 23 June, the Government submitted to Parliament a government proposal for a new act on executive assistance to the police by the Defence Forces. The key points of the proposal relate to the preparedness of the authorities, and the regulation on very exceptional situations and armed assistance. The aim is to update the legislation on executive assistance provided to the police.

7.10.2020 | The Ministry of the Interior and the National Police Board have launched a new social media campaign for young people that aims to encourage them to think about the way we use social media to discuss issues and the impacts of hate speech in their surroundings and in society as a whole.

15.3.2018 | Finland intends to update its reserve police system. The purpose of the new system would be to ensure public security in situations where police must focus their resources on dealing with unexpected and unforeseen situations.

20.9.2018 | In the future, the reserve police could be deployed during a state of emergency as well as during disorder in a normal situation. This will allow for a more effective response to a changed security situation and new threats and strengthen the operational capability of the Finnish police in extensive and wide-reaching incidents and security situations. On 20 September, the Government submitted a proposal to Parliament for legislation on reserve police and certain related acts.

29.8.2018 | The Government decided to allocate an additional appropriation of EUR 2.5 million for preventive police work in 2019. The aim of this is to respond to security challenges facing suburbs before problems escalate. The Government agreed the content of its budget proposal for 2019 in its budget session on 29 August.

16.12.2021 | Police licence and permit fees are due to change in 2022. The price of a passport will fall, while most prices of other licences and permits will rise. The prices of identity cards will remain unchanged. The changes reflect the cost-correlation of licences and permits. The fees charged for licences and permits must correspond by law to the costs incurred in issuing these documents.