The police board has launched an internal investigation into the climatic events that took place outside the government palace last Friday.
Police arrested a total of 52 activists from the Elokapina protest movement – the Finnish branch of the environmental group Extinction Rebellio – after the protesters were chained and glued to the entrance to the building.
The protesters are suspected of causing public obstacles, disobedience to the police and gross violations of the peace.
The last of these allegations – a gross violation of the peace – has sparked a lively debate and criticism of the proportionality of police action in removing protesters.
The Helsinki Police Department has already admitted that they have not accurately assessed the security threat posed by the climate demonstration and that additional errors occurred in the event communication.
In a statement on Saturday night, police said security was estimated to have deteriorated to such an extent that the president, ministers and other officials were urged to leave the building along alternative routes after the government meeting.
However, the president Sauli Niinistö told Helsingin Sanomat that he was not instructed to follow a different route when leaving the government palace and the Minister of Education Li Andersson (Left) also said he left the building in the same way as always.
In a press release, the Police Board stated that it had closely followed the public debate on the demonstration and would launch an internal investigation, adding that a request to clarify the incidents had already been sent to the Helsinki Police Department.
Once the department has received the report, the board will evaluate the matter in more detail and make a written decision.
The task of the Police Board is to plan and supervise the activities of the police at the national level.
Ohisalo: The ministry asked the police department to investigate the matter
Minister of the Interior Maria Ohisalo (Green) told the news agency STT that he asked the government to start an investigation into the activities of the officers of the climate demonstration and added that his ministry has also launched an investigation into the events.
Ohisalo said he attaches great importance to the police striving to be as impartial as possible in all their activities and communications, as this avoids the possible perception that the police have taken a position on a particular matter.
"Police have admitted they made a mistake in assessing the threat and also failed to communicate on the matter. I consider it important for the police that mistakes are acknowledged and lessons learned," Ohisalo wrote to STT by e-mail.
Source: The Nordic Page