Police Chief Sees Threat from Organised Crime

Paatero sees tougher organised crime methods spreading into the country from abroad. For instance, in the past threats made against police and other authorities have been rare but now there are signs of it becoming more common, he told YLE.

Another clear new development has been the rise of "hit and run" crimes. Criminals come into Finland from neighbouring countries, commit misdeeds and then try to quickly leave the country. An example of this came last autumn when gangsters from Sweden blew up several bank machines in Finland. The cases against them have been heard in a Finnish court this week.

Paatero also sees a major threat from the arrival of international gangs in Finland. The spread of ethnic criminal gangs from other Nordic countries into Finland is likely to increase as the immigrant population grows, asserts Paatero.

Particularly at risk of joining gangs are second-generation immigrants, he says. He says that effective integration could help to avert this problem. Efforts must also be made to ensure that members of the mainstream population do not become marginalised, he adds.

Law enforcement officials estimate that there are now 60-70 criminal organisations operating in Finland, including 20-25 motorcycle gangs. Altogether these groups have about 1,000 members -- nearly all of them native Finns.