High-level ex police officers charged with negligence

Three high-level former police officers, one in duty and two retired, were charged with negligence of duty on Wednesday.

The charges claimed that they did not supervise the way the Helsinki drug police used sources in 2009-2013.

The suspects are former national police commissioner Mikko Paatero, current Helsinki police commissioner Lasse Aapio and his predecessor Jukka Riikonen.

The management investigation was ordered by the then interior minister Päivi Räsänen in 2013. At that time, another investigation of the drug police was under way and Räsänen found out the media information and what she got internally from the police did not match.

Last year, Räsänen said that she got the impression in 2013 that the Helsinki drug police had been allowed to make its own rules and it was a "wild west" of the police force.

"At its worst, it was possible that the drug police would end on carrying out drug crimes on their own", Räsänen recalled.

The investigation of the drug police led in 2016 to a ten-year imprisonment of the former head of anti-drug squad at the Helsinki Police Department Jari Aarnio for drug smuggling, official misconduct and other crimes. Following the court decision on Aarnio, the investigation into the management problems continued.

The charges published on Wednesday on the high level officers were raised by the state prosecutor Raija Toiviainen. She told the media that the suspects were aware of the long continued deficiencies in source registrations in the Helsinki drug police, but did not intervene immediately. The suspects have dismissed the charges.

Seppo Kolehmainen, the current Finnish national police commissioner, said on Wednesday "this is the most difficult situation in the history of the police in Finland".

Considering people's trust in the police, this matter must be looked through in detail, added Kolehmainen.

Kai Mykkänen, current minister for the interior, said on national broadcaster Yle that the charges proved that in Finland the key leadership of the police can be charged. Mykkänen said it is part of the concept of a state ruled by law that the work of the police be assessed and corrected.