Crime in Finland
Encyclopedia
Statistics
| 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2004 | per 1,000 people5) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All offences | 480,964 | 848,978 | 763,391 | 787,964 | 150.46 |
| Offences against the Penal Code1) | 221,106 | 435,154 | 4)530,270 | 540,867 | 103.28 |
| Manslaughter, murder, homicide | 111 | 145 | 146 | 144 | 0.028 |
| Assault | 13,964 | 20,654 | 27,820 | 29,806 | 5.69 |
| Theft, robbery | 103,024 | 166,266 | 196,009 | 166,095 | 31.71 |
| Drunken driving | 20,436 | 29,759 | 22,783 | 26,977 | 5.15 |
| Offences involving narcotics2) | 955 | 2,546 | 13,445 | 14,486 | 2.77 |
| Traffic infractions | 3)215,281 | 3)367,571 | 4)214,543 | 218,723 | 41.77 |
| Other offences | 44,577 | 46,253 | 18,578 | 28,374 | 5.42 |
- 1) From 1999 onwards, offences against the Penal code contain offences previously recorded under the Road Traffic Act.
- 2) In the Penal Code as of 1994
- 3) Traffic offences
- 4) line across a time series shows substantial breaks in the homogeneity of a series
- 5) Population of FinlandDemographics of FinlandThis article is about the demographic features of the population of Finland, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
by the end of year 2004 was 5,237,000 - 6) these statistics are from official statistics Finland database http://www.stat.fi/, but the numbers don't add up, so some data is missing.
Manslaughter, murder, homicide
Homicides can be classified into four main types. Half of crimes involve men of marginalized groups (unemployed, undereducated, drugDrug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
and alcohol
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
problems) in heavy drinking situations. Thirty-five percent of homicides are committed by family members, and ten percent of homicides are classified as youth violence.
Women constitute 10 percent of offenders and 25 percent of victims. The vast majority of female offenders target a husband or other family member. Twenty-three percent of homicide victims of male offenders were strangers. Fewer than 20 percent of these crimes are committed outdoors. Sixty percent of male and 30 percent of the female homicide offenders have been arrested for drunken driving at least once.
Firearms are used in 14 percent of the cases. Street shootings and gang violence are extremely rare. A few cases involving motorcycle gangs have occurred in recent years, attracting national attention.
Guns
Finns have the fourth most firearmFirearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
s in the world per capita (right after United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
) totalling 1.8 million registered privately owned firearms and 100,000–200,000 unregistered firearms. Gun related homicides are rare, comprising 14% of the total number of homicides, which is comparatively low.
Guns and other weapons are tightly regulated. One must separately apply for a gun license, which cannot be issued for "self defense reasons". Even other weapons, such as pepper sprays, are regulated. Carrying weapons, including guns and knives, in public is not allowed.
Assaults and rapes
In 2005, 594 cases of rapeRape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
(114 ppm), 380 cases of other sex crime and 946 cases of statutory rape
Statutory rape
The phrase statutory rape is a term used in some legal jurisdictions to describe sexual activities where one participant is below the age required to legally consent to the behavior...
were reported to the police. According to official statistics, 27.0% of rapes have been committed by foreigners in Finland, who comprise 2.2% of population (this is probally because people may be less willing to risk reporting a Finnish national) In contrast, the rape support helpline Tukinainen reports that 6% of all callers and 11% of 10–20-year-old callers say that the rapist was a foreigner. Additionally, Finnish rapists are more likely to be known personally by the victim, increasing the threshold to report. Furthermore, there are great asymmetries between nationalities of rapists.
Corruption
Political corruptionPolitical corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
levels are extremely low and previously Finland was annually named the least corrupted country for years. Notably, the number of notices of corruption crimes were lower than the murder rate in 2007—there were about 15 reports of bribery or attempted bribery annually. In 2006, there were 115 reports of corruption. Only one fourth of these involves seeking private gain—on the contrary, one third of the cases were attempts to harm someone rather than seek gain. In the years 2002 to 2007, no corporations fined and no business prohibition
Business prohibition
A business prohibition is a prohibition issued by a court that prohibits an individual from holding a position of responsibility in a corporation. Business prohibitions are given as punishments and as preemptive measures following aggravated offences while in office, such as false accounting, or...
s were imposed on the basis of bribing.
The campaign funding controversy that began in 2008 has eroded the confidence in the transparency of Finnish politics. Finland's Transparence International's Corruption Perceptions Index
Corruption Perceptions Index
Since 1995, Transparency International publishes the Corruption Perceptions Index annually ranking countries "by their perceived levels of corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys." The CPI generally defines corruption as "the misuse of public power for private...
ranking has dropped to 5th place. The continuing controversy began with a remark by a Centre Party
Centre Party (Finland)
The Centre Party is a centrist and Nordic agrarian political party in Finland. It is one of the four largest political parties in the country, along with the Social Democratic Party , the National Coalition Party and the True Finns , and currently has 35 seats in the Finnish Parliament...
MP that he hadn't disclosed his funding sources, because despite the obligation, there was no punishment for avoiding it coded in the law. Later it was found a group of property developers had supported certain MPs of the three major parties (Centre Party
Centre Party (Finland)
The Centre Party is a centrist and Nordic agrarian political party in Finland. It is one of the four largest political parties in the country, along with the Social Democratic Party , the National Coalition Party and the True Finns , and currently has 35 seats in the Finnish Parliament...
, National Coalition and Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party of Finland
The Social Democratic Party of Finland is one of the three major political parties in Finland, along with the Centre Party and the National Coalition Party. Jutta Urpilainen is the current SDP leader. The party has been in the Finnish government cabinet for long periods and has set many...
) allegedly to produce favorable zoning decisions. Furthermore, MPs of the government-leading Centre Party
Centre Party (Finland)
The Centre Party is a centrist and Nordic agrarian political party in Finland. It is one of the four largest political parties in the country, along with the Social Democratic Party , the National Coalition Party and the True Finns , and currently has 35 seats in the Finnish Parliament...
had funneled public funds to party-associated foundations that had subsequently funded the personal campaigns of Centre Party politicians, including Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen
Matti Vanhanen
Matti Taneli Vanhanen is a Finnish politician. He is a former Prime Minister of Finland and a former Chairman of the Centre Party. In the second half of 2006 he was President of the European Council. In his earlier career he was a journalist...
. There are criminal investigations ongoing by the National Bureau of Investigation
Keskusrikospoliisi
Keskusrikospoliisi located in the city of Vantaa is a division of Finland's national police. Literally Keskusrikospoliisi/Centralkriminalpolisen would be translated as "Central Criminal Police", which might be a more descriptive name for the entity, as its primary mission is to fight against...
. Incomplete disclosure of funding sources was the problem of the two other major parties.
Organized crime
The ObtshakObtshak
The Obtshak , Ühiskassa or "Common treasury" is an alliance of the Estonian mafia and the Russian mafia. It is an umbrella organization, providing arbitration and monopolizing the mafia business, in e.g. Finland. Obtshak has an effective monopoly in prostitution in Finland....
, a consortium of the Estonian Mafia
Estonian mafia
Estonian mafia is a loose alliance of Estonian mobster groups, principally of Russian groups ethnic or origins, with a wide range of different rackets...
(principally of Russian groups ethnic or origins) and Russian Mafia
Russian Mafia
The Russian Mafia is a name applied to organized crime syndicates in Russia and Ukraine. The mafia in various countries take the name of the country, as for example the Ukrainian mafia....
is involved in prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
in Finland. They may also employ Finns as "minders" (gangsters).
There are several competing motorcycle gangs in Finland. Bandidos MC
Bandidos
The Bandidos Motorcycle Club, also known as the Bandido Nation, is a "one-percenter" motorcycle gang and organized crime syndicate with a worldwide membership. The club was formed in 1966 by Don Chambers in Texas. Its slogan is We are the people our parents warned us about. It is estimated to have...
and Hells Angels
Hells Angels
The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is a worldwide one-percenter motorcycle gang and organized crime syndicate whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. In the United States and Canada, the Hells Angels are incorporated as the Hells Angels Motorcycle Corporation. Their primary motto...
are international gangs, and Rogues Gallery
Rogues gallery
A rogues gallery is a police collection of pictures or photographs of criminals and suspects kept for identification purposes...
is a Finnish gang from Lahti
Lahti
Lahti is a city and municipality in Finland.Lahti is the capital of the Päijänne Tavastia region. It is situated on a bay at the southern end of lake Vesijärvi about north-east of the capital Helsinki...
. Drug trade and security services are their sources of income.
Punishment
The most common punishments are fines and probation. Community service is also a punishment. These are generally effective in preventing repetition of an offence. The day fine system is in effect; this means, that if an offence warrants fines, they are calculated in proportion to the offender's income, when this is higher than the minimum fine.Lengths of prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
sentences have increased in recent years, though Finnish prison terms are exceptionally short in the international context. Drug trafficking and manslaughter result in the longest prison sentences, of 8–9 years, after premeditated murder. Although life sentences are given for murder, probation is given after 10 years at the earliest, excluding the possibility of presidential amnesty. Therefore, effective life sentences are enforced in only cases of involuntary commitment of murderers.
The last time capital punishment was enforced in peacetime is in 1825 (see: Tahvo Putkonen
Tahvo Putkonen
Tahvo Putkonen was a Finnish farmhand, who killed tenant farmer Lasse Hirvonen on December 26, 1822 during the Finnish grand duchy period in Pieksämäki. He was sentenced to death on July 30, 1823. He made numerous appeals all the way to the Emperor, but was each time denied pardon...
). In the Finnish Civil War
Finnish Civil War
The Finnish Civil War was a part of the national, political and social turmoil caused by World War I in Europe. The Civil War concerned control and leadership of The Grand Duchy of Finland as it achieved independence from Russia after the October Revolution in Petrograd...
(1918) and in the wars of World War II (1939–1945) capital punishment was enforced. The death penalty was abolished in 1971.
Rate of incarceration
In 2004 there were on average 3577 prisoners serving a sentence (68 per 100,000 people). Average age was 35. Since 1999 the number of prisoners has risen 30 per cent. Average length of sentence until release was 7,8 months. The number of prison guardsPrison officer
A prison officer , also referred to as a corrections officer , correctional officer , or detention officer , is a person charged with the responsibility of the supervision, safety and security of prisoners in a prison, jail, or similar form of secure...
is approximately 1600 (total staff 2800).
Police
Finland has only 147 police officers per 100,000 people. The United States has 243 per 100,000 and GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
has 290. In 2004, police officers accounted for 7718 of the total police personnel.