The Ministry of Finance will allocate 30 million euros to the police, the police will cancel the negotiations
MINISTRY On Monday, Finance announced its proposal for the fourth supplementary budget for the year, estimating public borrowing to be about € 2.5 billion lower than previously estimated and to be € 11.9 billion in 2021.
The decline in borrowing is due to the expectation that tax revenues will exceed previous forecasts by EUR 1.5 billion.
At least the positive development of public finances is not directly due to the measures adopted by the government, recognized Treasury. The new optimism is driven by better-than-expected employment growth and the latest information on capital gains and withholding tax.
The government is due to discuss a supplementary budget on November 2. It must be submitted to Parliament on 4 November.
The proposal includes an increase of EUR 30 million in police funding.
The Finnish police had publicly asked for an increase in their funding, saying by the way that they had no choice but to start negotiations to reduce 200-250 person-years. It announced yesterday in response to the release of the supplementary budget that it had suspended the statutory process.
“Police are now focusing on planning their operations in 2022 to achieve the target of 7,500 person-years set in the government program and to maintain their operations at current levels.” said National Police Commander Seppo Kolehmainen.
Last month, the Finnish government presented its draft budget for next year and set aside EUR 808 million for the Finnish police. The cost of police operations this year is € 838 million, which exceeds the € 806 million set aside for them. Overdraft is possible with funding carried over from previous years, but as the funds carried over have been used this year, the funding will practically decrease in 2022.
Helsingin sanomat newspaper reported Last week, the debate again raised questions about the use of police funds.
Government sources have been confused by the rapid rise in police spending – around € 100 million in just a few years – and the plan to cut staff amid funding to increase police numbers. Police announced their need to cut up to 250 person-years and said € 808 million is enough for 7,200 person-years, a strength it put together with € 716 million in 2018.
“Why has the government’s goal of increasing the number of police officers not been achieved despite raising the euro to 800 million euros not been achieved?” The Treasury minister Annika Saarikko (Center) asked in Parliament in September.
Police brass, he said, referred to property and wage costs as an explanation.
Messing’s response to the draft budget has even aroused anger in the government, says Helsingin Sanomat. Representatives of the police administration even contacted the legislators of each constituency and urged them to pay attention to the budget.
No other authority has resorted to such measures, several sources say to the newspaper.
In his recent dissertation, a retired senior inspector argued that the police administration eats up a significant portion of funding, in part because of failed and over-budgeted information system projects. The size of the administration has grown significantly over the past five years, and there has been a constant report of a shortage of police officers in patrol and investigative missions.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT