internal security in finland – challenges for policing

Sirpa Virta, Leeds 18.9.2008 1

Internal Security in Finland – challenges for policing

Leeds 18th September 2008

Sirpa Virta

University of Tampere


Anti-social behaviour? Translated literally in Finnish, the term has not necessarily

negative connotations, it does not refer to bad behaviour but rather to isolation, not very social and talkative personality (which we think is okay!) – ”small talk” is a nightmare situation to the Finns…

Anti-social behaviour phenomena are connected to social exclusion and public order issues. (Alcohol-related, middle-age, male and violence issue.)

Children and young people have problems (family, health, mental health, school drop outs..) but THEY ARE NOT THE PROBLEM


Security landscape the EU Member State location next to Russia not in NATO Safe country -reputation and reality securitization of everyday life (through ”prevention of social

exclusion”) development of a new kind of ”internal security” concept

(threats from abroad and threats within) policy transfer or policy laundering? from control and prevention of (anti-social) behaviour to

control and prevention of (radical/ anti-social) thoughts?


The EU strategies: governing through counter terrorism The Tampere Programme 1999, The Hague Programme 2004, The EU

Counter Terrorism Strategy 2005, The EU Strategy on Combating Radicalisation and Recruitment 2005

the Action Plans – implementation and monitoring, guidelines for local counter terrorism / local policing

criminal justice model (vs. war model) institutional development: COSI (2009?), Europol, Eurojust, SitCen,

CEPOL…plus numerous new intelligence networks & task forces The Post-Hague Programme / The Future Groups’ reports (July 2008)

Who governs and how? (strategies as organised forms of exercising power / Hörnqvist 2007)

Sirpa Virta: Re-building the EU: Governing Through Counter Terrorism (working title) forthcoming in de Lint & Bajc ed. Security in Everyday Life. Routledge. 2009.


National security going local New national security / internal security strategies in Member

States – new concept of national security (bird flu, climate change, home grown terrorism, organised crime, stability and vulnerability of society, critical infrastructure…)

”Security in an interdependent world” (UK, March 2008) threat assessment industry (TE-SAT, OCTA: Europol annual

intelligence products) – global, EU, national, local Scientific support (for improvement of threat assessments) Community intelligence, schools and universities / teachers’

reporting on suspicious behaviour / talk / thoughts… we all are obliged to serve the high policing purposes and national security?

Tensions between secret / security services and local policing


Finland: internal security and policing challenges Next to Russia/not in Nato: the War in Georgia has changed

perceptions of insecurity towards old state-centred and military national security( – temporarily or permantently?)

Safe country: reputation: The Guardian 13.2.2003: How scared are we? (people in

Britain) – unpertubed -> mildly concerned -> sporadically anxious -> distinctly jumpy -> worried sick -> paralysed with terror -> stockpiling food -> MOVING TO FINLAND

Internal Security Programme 2004 and 2008: prevention of social exclusion

Community Policing Strategy 2007: early intervention


Internal Security Programme 2008: Safety First (Government’s Programme)

”Finland will be the safest country in Europe in 2015” – safety utopia?

The Safety Utopia (Boutellier 2005) – safe freedom, comprehensive preventive policy, solidarity, moral, empathy

”Internal security is a state of society where everyone can enjoy the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the rule of law and a safe society without fear or insecurity caused by crime, disruptions, accidents or any other phenomena in Finnish society or the increasingly globalised world” (translation of MOI)


Main objectives and means (following the ”precautionary principle”) Prevention of social exclusion Training and research (internal security issues for all

authorities, threat awareness…) Threat assessment and intelligence exchange (building a

comprehensive cross-sectoral system) Local Safety Planning Reducing violence Prevention of minor and major accidents and disasters Border security, prevention of illegal immigration, customs

security Combating terrorism, preventing radicalisation and

recruitment


Community Policing Strategy 2007 Neighbourhood policing and Local Safety Planning Implementation of Internal Security Programme, but also the

EU policing strategies directly Prevention of social exclusion: early intervention (police

visits in schools, co-operation with social and health sector,…)

Local Safety Planning – the police is one actor (but not the main actor any more) in partnerships

New tasks for neighbourhood policing: working with minorities, prevention of social exclusion of immigrants, integration (in order to prevent radicalisation and recruitment)


What is to be done with social exclusion? Internal Security Programme: mix of all kinds of security

related (?) issues – security is everything and nothing…? Why security, why not economics, politics, social policy? Security = welfare society = security; security as a new

justification or legitimation of welfare society politics? Social exclusion: vague concept (alcohol, drugs, health and

mental health, unemployment, school drop outs, poverty…) Social exclusion: as a root cause (for crime, violence,

radicalisation…) Social exclusion: as a consequence (of lack of public

services, poverty, unemployment, divorce…)


Welfare and security –relationship? security is taken over welfare security of minorities & immigrants – minorities &

immigrants as security threats the nature of community policing will change dramatically

(?) – trust / suspiciouness, secrecy / transparency, …(may be very harmful for police legitimacy)

control and prevention of (radical, anti-social, unacceptable) thinking – thought policing?

security, politics and power policy transfer or policy laundering?

internal security in finland – challenges for policing

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