The principle is simple: police should be where people are. In Finland that rule has helped foster a new breed of police officer, one that functions primarily online. ‘Internet police’ now number in the dozens and their impact is plain to see.
According to Helsinki police, the department’s Virtual Policing Group saw an immediate jump in the proportion of child sex offences that are reported online. The idea is that online presences help build trust among groups that have traditionally been difficult for police to reach.
“This started out as a way to implement a local policing strategy,” said Ville Hokkanen, who helps manage social media presences for Oulu Police Department. “If we can’t always make contact in real life, then we can be contacted from home, and people can ask questions and comment. Only rarely do we get abuse, feedback has in the main been good.
Effective method
Internet police are keen to stress that they remain police, not communications officers. They answer questions on Twitter, Facebook, IRC Galleria and other online forums where Finns now gather to converse.
It has been an effective method. The first and most prominent ‘internet police’, Marko Forss in Helsinki, has become something of a celebrity and is now running for parliament for the National Coalition party.
The Helsinki Police Department’s Internet Police pages advise on reporting crimes, how to deal with online bullying and identity theft, among other online crime areas.
Plenty of channels to contact police
The new generation of online police can also be a good source of information for the public. Honkanen points to police Twitter accounts that provided accurate and timely information about disruption caused by protesters at the Independence Day ball on 6 December.
According to Hokkanen, information flow helps ensure people encounter fewer barriers to contacting law enforcement—there is now a channel for everyone.
“Some people want to go to the police station, some want to see a police car at their event, some just comment on Facebook,” said Hokkanen. “Some even commit crimes in order to contact us. There are so many ways to get in touch now.”