Officials in Helsinki are taking a tough line on threats made against schools. The new policy comes after a rash of warnings of upcoming attacks, which started after a gunman killed 10 people and himself in a shooting spree at a vocational school in Kauhajoki in the west of Finland late last month.
Investigating threats against school has been raised to the top of the police priority list. Prosecutors will be involved from the very beginning of preliminary investigation, and are to agree on a court date as early as possible.
Police say that trials of those who are caught will be fast-tracked, and that those convicted will be presented with a bill to compensate for the costs of the prank.
“We are serious with these cases, and we want to put an end to this cat-and-mouse game”, says Ilkka Koskimäki of the Helsinki Police.
After the school shootings in Kauhajoki, the Helsinki police have learned of about ten malicious threats against school. Not all of the perpetrators have been caught, but some arrests have been made.
Taking part in the fast track policy are the police, the Finnish Prosecution Service, and and the office of the Prosecutor General.
The Vallila unit of the Helsinki City College of Technology was evacuated on Thursday morning after a the principal and two teachers of the institution received threats by text message.
Later in the day police apprehended the owner of the telephone that was used to send the message. The 16-year-old boy now faces charges of making an unlawful threat.
Pupils and most of the staff were sent home until Friday.
