Cash-strapped police putting lower priority on petty criminals

HS survey shows lower job satisfaction among officers

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Police officers around Finland say that state budget cuts are making it harder to enforce laws and to protect people from crime. At the same time occupational safety has weakened, income has declined, and work motivation among Finland’s police forces has shrunk.
      More than 200 police officers responded to an e-mail questionnaire sent to them by Helsingin Sanomat on the impact of spending cuts on the everyday work of the police.
      About a third of officers felt that cost cuts have pushed police operations into a critical state.
     
Many respondents said that if a person submitting a criminal complaint cannot name a perpetrator, police will usually not investigate the crime. Even knowing who committed the crime does not always mean that there will be an investigation – at least not soon.
      “Instructions are constantly coming to handle cases with ‘minimum measures’ or to try to get a plaintiff to withdraw the complaint”, writes one respondent.
      “An exhausted, demoralised officer who quarrels with colleagues is at a risk of succumbing to alcoholism, taking bribes, and sailing on both sides of the law”, writes another.
     
“An increasing number of cases are being handled in the office by hand on paper. This is directly proportional to the outcome. Motivation is declining”, one investigator says.
      “People have been cut back so much that there is a risk of burnout, especially in the investigation of crime. On the other hand, it has been reflected in the work ethic. Now people are trying to take the easy way”, another officer says.
      One 30-year veteran police officer says that the atmosphere at work among the police has never been as bad as it is now.
     
Some respondents said that the police are embellishing statistics to cover up the decline in the quality of police work.
      “Urgency classifications are doctored. Class A missions are written as class B tasks, because no units are available to be sent to the scene of a crime”, one of the respondents says.
     
Serious crimes still get attention, according to most correspondents, but even here there are exceptions.
      “Some large economic crime cases have not been investigated at all, even though we know that an extensive and serious crime is involved. An investigation would require much time and we do not have enough investigators for such cases”, a police officer said.
     
Citizens are finding it increasingly difficult to get police to respond in time to a rapidly unfolding situation.
      “My subordinates on patrol, who are proud of their profession, try to keep up appearances, and are demoralised when, in their haste, they can only scratch the surface”, says one high-ranking officer.
      Employees in a number of local police forces say that tasks in outlying areas of their districts do not get as much attention as they used to.
     
Many say that the situation has deteriorated since 2009 when the number of regional police departments was reduced from 90 to 24.
      “Things are handled by telephone. People are told ‘if you can’t deal with the situation there, then call us back’. Naturally this looks good on paper because we can say that a task at a long distance has been handled quickly.”
     
Many say that they are not able to apprehend intoxicated drivers if the distance to the scene is great.
      “A drunken driver can be driving away from the police patrol at a distance of 30 to 100 kilometres, often in the direction of another police department”, one officer says.
      Police also feel that their occupational safety has deteriorated. For instance, it is increasingly difficult to get a second unit for backup even for hazardous missions. Many also feel that ageing police cars pose a security risk.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  National Police Commissioner wants to give private security guards greater powers (27.10.2011)
  Parliament raises doubts over cuts to police and military budgets (16.12.2011)
  National Police Commissioner wants to lighten work load of cash-strapped police (7.11.2011)

Helsingin Sanomat