Police probe into 30 elderly care cases annually

The police are currently investigating about 30 matters directly or indirectly related to elderly care across the country, said an official press release.

The law enforcing agency always takes suspected criminal activities seriously when the crimes are linked to vulnerable parties, such as the elderly.

During the negotiations between the National Supervisory Authority for Welfare and Health (Valvira) and the National Police Board recently noted that the tasks of the police and Valvira are clear and the cooperation and communication between the police and the supervisory authorities work well.

The tasks that the police receives concerning elderly care and their investigation will be handled in the police departments in line with the principle of regional responsibility, and it has not been necessary to centralize these tasks. The police also informs the supervisory authorities about other police operation observations that fall under the responsibility of the supervisory authorities.

Some of these cases are under preliminary investigation, some are suspected for various crimes, and some cases are at the stage of the final statement and proceeding to the consideration of charges.

According to Police Chief Superintendent Heikki Lausmaa, the number of requests for investigation and the number of investigations have not shown any considerable changes in the past few years.

Monitoring of elderly care is carried out by the supervisory authorities, which are the Valvira and the Regional State Administrative Agencies (AVI). The law concerning elderly care additionally obligates operators to ensure the quality of their services with in-house control.

“A part of the notifications concerning elderly care are reported to the police by supervisory authorities. The police receives notifications from family members and other sources, and can also start pre-trial investigations on their own initiative. Besides notifying the police about any suspicious activities, the supervisory authorities also have an important role as an expert in the police investigations,” Lausmaa added.