Police from Finland will be allowed to intervene against criminals on Swedish soil. This could become relevant in cases of serious crimes such as murder, rape, and robbery, when Swedish police are unable to reach the scene.
The government will decide on Wednesday on a bill proposal for intensified operational police cooperation at the border between Sweden and Finland in the north. The proposal means that police from Finland will be allowed to perform urgent police tasks on Swedish territory.
The background is that the police may have difficulty reaching ongoing crimes that occur outside of city centers. In these situations, Swedish police will be able to request help from the neighboring country.
Police from Finland will be allowed to intervene in serious crimes such as murder, robbery, kidnapping, and rape, pending the arrival of Swedish police.
Finland's police will also be allowed to intervene without Swedish police requesting it in situations that pose an immediate threat to someone's life or health, for example in accidents and natural disasters.
According to the government, the proposal goes further than many of Sweden's other police cooperation agreements with police in other countries, and means that Finnish police officers are given relatively extensive powers to intervene in the Swedish border area.
The municipalities affected by this will be on the Swedish side Haparanda, Kiruna, Pajala, and Övertorneå. In Finland, it concerns the municipalities of Enontekiö, Kolari, Muonio, Pello, Tornio, and Övertorneå (Ylitornio).
There is no date yet for when the changes to the law will come into force.
Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer (M) emphasizes that organized crime is transnational.
"We must therefore do everything we can to get to the criminal activity across borders. A strong police cooperation between Sweden and Finland is more important than ever," he says in a written statement.
It was the previous government that signed the agreement that serves as the basis for the intensified police cooperation. Now the proposal will be sent to the Council on Legislation, and then it must be approved by the Riksdag. Finland's parliament has already approved the agreement.
