Deputy Chancellor of Justice Mikko Puumalainen: Positive development in human trafficking investigations
According to Deputy Chancellor of Justice Mikko Puumalainen, the pre-trial investigations of human trafficking offences and the monitoring of these investigations carried out by the police have seen a positive development.
In his decision OKV/1233/70/2021 issued in December 2021, the Deputy Chancellor of Justice stated that the police had difficulties in identifying the elements of human trafficking offences in pre-trial investigations. In the same decision, the Deputy Chancellor of Justice called for the police’s internal legality oversight to monitor the identification of human trafficking offences and to secure the promptness of pre-trial investigations.
After the decision was issued, the National Police Board named the pre-trial investigations of human trafficking offences as one of the national focus areas of the internal legality oversight. In spring 2023, the Deputy Chancellor of Justice started on his own initiative to examine how the National Police Board has supervised the legality of the pre-trial investigations of human trafficking offences. In November 2023, the Deputy Chancellor of Justice also carried out a legality oversight visit to the National Police Board’s legality control unit.
There are still shortcomings in the pre-trial investigations of human trafficking offences. For example, cases requiring the evaluation of evidence had not been submitted to prosecutors for consideration. The police still find it difficult to identify human trafficking and related offences and to apply the elements of their criminal statutes.
According to the Deputy Chancellor of Justice, there was a positive aspect in that the internal legality oversight of the police departments had identified shortcomings and corrective measures had been taken. The National Police Board’s active work to oversee the legality of human trafficking offence investigations also significantly supports positive development. The Deputy Chancellor of Justice considered the work of the National Police Board in the monitoring of human trafficking offences to require no further action.
Many police departments had updated the organisation of their pre-trial investigations of human trafficking offences after the decision of the Deputy Chancellor of Justice. The centralisation of initial investigative measures appeared to have had a positive effect. The work of the national human trafficking investigation team, established in 2021 and operating in the Helsinki Police Department, has considerably improved the quality and promptness of pre-trial investigations of human trafficking offences. It remains important to secure sufficient knowledge and skills for these pre-trial investigations outside the Helsinki metropolitan area.
Long-term efforts and monitoring by different authorities are still required to improve the quality of the pre-trial investigations of human trafficking offences. The Deputy Chancellor of Justice is still investigating matters related to the pre-trial of human trafficking offences as well.
Legality oversight of sexual offence investigations
In conjunction with human trafficking offences, the Deputy Chancellor of Justice also examined the National Police Board’s legality oversight work on the pre-trial investigations of sexual offences. In his decision OKV/325/70/2022 issued in November 2022, the Deputy Chancellor of Justice stated that there had been significant negligence in the pre-trial investigations of sexual offences at certain police departments. In 2022, the police had named the pre-trial investigations of sexual offences as a focus area for their internal legality oversight in addition to human trafficking offences.
The internal legality oversight of the police found an unusually large number of shortcomings with the decisions of the pre-trial investigations of sexual offences in 2022. On this basis, the pre-trial investigations of sexual offences were reintroduced as a national focus area for the police’s internal legality oversight function in 2023.
The Deputy Chancellor of Justice has requested the National Police Board to submit their legality oversight report for 2023. The Deputy Chancellor of Justice’s own initiative regarding the legality oversight of sexual offences remains ongoing.
Further information
Referendary Counsellor Juho Lehtimäki, tel. +358 29 516 2559, [email protected]
