Crime figures: aggravated thefts tend to be more professional than before

Police say the most significant threat in the grey construction sector is posed by Finnish entrepreneurs disqualified from business operations

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The number of aggravated thefts increased considerably in Finland last year.
     
According to a review published by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the number of aggravated thefts recorded by police in 2009 was 2,330, which was more than 20 % higher than the 1,904 reported in the previous year.
      According to the police, most of the aggravated thefts are burglaries that are increasingly often conducted by professionals from abroad.
     
Particularly the strongly increased number of Romanians participating in such crimes has come as a surprise to Finnish police.
      In addition to Romanians, even professional criminals from Estonia, Sweden, Lithuania, and Russia are involved in this sort of such activity.
      ”Thefts are more often than before hit-and-run burglaries conducted by subcontracted burglars looking for certain goods that they have been specifically asked to steal. Typically, such gangs move from one place to another during the same day, staying in the country maybe for two to three days. They are also well aware of how soon the authorities could track them down”, notes Senior Researcher Jari Leskinen from the NBI, Finland’s Central Criminal Police.
      According to Jari Leskinen, the Schengen Agreement that has removed the border controls between the participating countries is bound to hamper considerably the authorities’ efforts to catch criminals.
      Similar problems have been detected in other EU countries, and international cooperation with the European Police Office (EUROPOL) and even with the Romanian authorities is being strengthened.
     
According to the police, there is a danger that such custom-made thefts will increase even on building sites.
      At present, the percentage of thefts made on construction sites is 5% of all larcenies that have come to light.
      An example of such thefts occurred in March, when two crane trucks - worth hundreds of thousands of euros - owned by a construction company were stolen in Helsinki.
      They were transported by ferries to Tallinn the same evening, and during the night they were taken to Latvia, where one of the trucks was found last week.
      When it comes to the grey economy in the construction industry, the most significant threat is posed by those Finns who have been disqualified from running a business and who are already professionals in the grey economy.
     
Today, the number of those individuals who have been disqualified from business operations is roughly 1,000, which is about 100 more than a year ago. Typically, they have been found guilty of serious accounting offences or of debtor dishonesty.
      Illegally acting entrepreneurs set up disposable businesses or companies with short life-spans, which can also be registered abroad.
      According to a report on the development of cooperation between the public authorities, some 20 to 40% of new companies established in the construction sector over the past few years have had persons in charge whose previous companies have had signigicant tax debts or recorded notices of default.
     
The grey economy and the use of illegal employees are more often than before in the hands of organised criminals.
      Over the period from 2007 to 2008, some 25% of economic offences were linked with organised crime.
      In 2009, 44% of all white-collar crimes that were reported to the police had connections with organised crime.
      There are many reasons why even Finnish employees may transfer to the grey labour market. Unreported wages plus unemployment benefits together often make for more in the pocket than legal net earnings.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Confederation of Finnish Construction Industries head confirms small contractor’s observations (16.4.2010)
  Finnish construction contractor: “Only work available is fixing mistakes of cheap operators” (16.4.2010)
  Foreign workers in ethnic restaurants are often flagrantly underpaid (19.1.2010)
  Largest theft on record revealed at Grand Casino Helsinki (23.4.2009)

See also:
  Crafty diesel thieves benefit from defective fuel pump in Eastern Finland (9.2.2010)

Links:
  Schengen Agreement (Wikipedia)

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