Thousands wanted by Helsinki police
Over 100 found in operation in Helsinki area
|
|
Police in Helsinki have about 8,000 warrants of apprehension for convicted criminals, or people wanted for questioning for various reasons. This is about one third of all of Finland’s outstanding warrants.
The actual number of individuals being sought by police is not as high, as some of the people being sought have several outstanding warrants for various reasons.
Nevertheless, wanted people still number in the thousands.
Most of those who are wanted are linked with a criminal process of some kind, says Jari Liukku, deputy police chief of Helsinki.
“In the investigation stage of a crime, it is possible to put out a warrant on a person whom the police want to question. Those convicted of a crime are sought if they fail to pay a fine or avoid serving a jail sentence.
Not all of those being sought by police are suspected criminals. Warrants are put out for people who need to be served with a paper, such as a traffic ticket, or a subpoena to testify in court. Avoiding conscription and escaping from a foster care home can also be grounds for a warrant.
Police are entitled to detain a person with a warrant on him for six hours, even if the warrant is not for an arrest. Most are usually allowed to leave the police station fairly soon after dealing with the business at hand.
Those with outstanding warrants are usually found in connection with the investigation of other crimes, or other coincidental circumstances, such as traffic stops. Liukku says that there are only a few special cases that warrant leads to an intense search by police.
Once or twice a year, the Helsinki police enact more extensive crackdowns to find larger numbers of wanted people.
The most recent such project concluded last month, by the police and the Criminal Sanctions Agency. The six-week crackdown brought in 141 people.
The head of the project, Markku Mäkinen of the Helsinki police, says that one explanation for the good result was thorough background work which took more than a month. In it, police dug up information about where people live, their vehicles, and possible photographs.
The people who were located varied from those who had avoided paying fines, to those suspected of serious crimes.
In addition to locating the individuals in question, the investigation led to suspicions of 88 new crimes - mainly minor drug cases and possession of illegal objects, such as unauthorised firearms, tazers, and brass knuckles.
Helsingin Sanomat
|
| 18.3.2009 - TODAY |
 Thousands wanted by Helsinki police |
|
