Internal Security in Finland – challenges for policing

1. Internal Security in Finland – challenges for policing Leeds 18th September 2008 Sirpa Virta University of Tampere Sirpa Virta, Leeds 18.9.2008

2. Anti-social behaviour? • Translated literally in Finnish, the term has not necessarily negative connotations, it does not refer to bad behaviour but rather to isolation, not very social and talkative personality (which we think is okay!) – ”small talk” is a nightmare situation to the Finns… • Anti-social behaviour phenomena are connected to social exclusion and public order issues. (Alcohol-related, middle-age, male and violence issue.) • Children and young people have problems (family, health, mental health, school drop outs..) but THEY ARE NOT THE PROBLEM Sirpa Virta, Leeds 18.9.2008

3. Security landscape • the EU Member State • location next to Russia • not in NATO • Safe country -reputation and reality • securitization of everyday life (through ”prevention of social exclusion”) • development of a new kind of ”internal security” concept (threats from abroad and threats within) • policy transfer or policy laundering? • from control and prevention of (anti-social) behaviour to control and prevention of (radical/ anti-social) thoughts? Sirpa Virta, Leeds 18.9.2008

4. The EU strategies: governing through counter terrorism • The Tampere Programme 1999, The Hague Programme 2004, The EU Counter Terrorism Strategy 2005, The EU Strategy on Combating Radicalisation and Recruitment 2005 • the Action Plans – implementation and monitoring, guidelines for local counter terrorism / local policing • criminal justice model (vs. war model) • institutional development: COSI (2009?), Europol, Eurojust, SitCen, CEPOL…plus numerous new intelligence networks & task forces • The Post-Hague Programme / The Future Groups’ reports (July 2008) • Who governs and how? (strategies as organised forms of exercising power / Hörnqvist 2007) • Sirpa Virta: Re-building the EU: Governing Through Counter Terrorism (working title) forthcoming in de Lint & Bajc ed. Security in Everyday Life. Routledge. 2009. Sirpa Virta, Leeds 18.9.2008

5. National security going local • New national security / internal security strategies in Member States – new concept of national security (bird flu, climate change, home grown terrorism, organised crime, stability and vulnerability of society, critical infrastructure…) • ”Security in an interdependent world” (UK, March 2008) • threat assessment industry (TE-SAT, OCTA: Europol annual intelligence products) – global, EU, national, local • Scientific support (for improvement of threat assessments) • Community intelligence, schools and universities / teachers’ reporting on suspicious behaviour / talk / thoughts… we all are obliged to serve the high policing purposes and national security? • Tensions between secret / security services and local policing Sirpa Virta, Leeds 18.9.2008

6. Finland: internal security and policing challenges • Next to Russia/not in Nato: the War in Georgia has changed perceptions of insecurity towards old state-centred and military national security( – temporarily or permantently?) • Safe country: reputation: • The Guardian 13.2.2003: How scared are we? (people in Britain) – unpertubed -> mildly concerned -> sporadically anxious -> distinctly jumpy -> worried sick -> paralysed with terror -> stockpiling food -> MOVING TO FINLAND • Internal Security Programme 2004 and 2008: prevention of social exclusion • Community Policing Strategy 2007: early intervention Sirpa Virta, Leeds 18.9.2008

7. Internal Security Programme 2008: Safety First (Government’s Programme) • ”Finland will be the safest country in Europe in 2015” – safety utopia? • The Safety Utopia (Boutellier 2005) – safe freedom, comprehensive preventive policy, solidarity, moral, empathy • ”Internal security is a state of society where everyone can enjoy the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the rule of law and a safe society without fear or insecurity caused by crime, disruptions, accidents or any other phenomena in Finnish society or the increasingly globalised world” (translation of MOI) Sirpa Virta, Leeds 18.9.2008

8. Main objectives and means (following the ”precautionary principle”) • Prevention of social exclusion • Training and research (internal security issues for all authorities, threat awareness…) • Threat assessment and intelligence exchange (building a comprehensive cross-sectoral system) • Local Safety Planning • Reducing violence • Prevention of minor and major accidents and disasters • Border security, prevention of illegal immigration, customs security • Combating terrorism, preventing radicalisation and recruitment Sirpa Virta, Leeds 18.9.2008

9. Community Policing Strategy 2007 • Neighbourhood policing and Local Safety Planning • Implementation of Internal Security Programme, but also the EU policing strategies directly • Prevention of social exclusion: early intervention (police visits in schools, co-operation with social and health sector,…) • Local Safety Planning – the police is one actor (but not the main actor any more) in partnerships • New tasks for neighbourhood policing: working with minorities, prevention of social exclusion of immigrants, integration (in order to prevent radicalisation and recruitment) Sirpa Virta, Leeds 18.9.2008

10. What is to be done with social exclusion? • Internal Security Programme: mix of all kinds of security related (?) issues – security is everything and nothing…? • Why security, why not economics, politics, social policy? • Security = welfare society = security; security as a new justification or legitimation of welfare society politics? • Social exclusion: vague concept (alcohol, drugs, health and mental health, unemployment, school drop outs, poverty…) • Social exclusion: as a root cause (for crime, violence, radicalisation…) • Social exclusion: as a consequence (of lack of public services, poverty, unemployment, divorce…) Sirpa Virta, Leeds 18.9.2008

11. Welfare and security –relationship? • security is taken over welfare • security of minorities & immigrants – minorities & immigrants as security threats • the nature of community policing will change dramatically (?) – trust / suspiciouness, secrecy / transparency, …(may be very harmful for police legitimacy) • control and prevention of (radical, anti-social, unacceptable) thinking – thought policing? • security, politics and power • policy transfer or policy laundering? Sirpa Virta, Leeds 18.9.2008