Concepts and definitions
- Burglary
Theft, aggravated theft or petty theft committed by means of unlawful intrusion.
- Coercive measure
Coercive measures are often divided into tree groups: those against a person, those against property and coercive measures ordered by a court of justice. Statistics on coercive measures classify these measures so that coercive measures against a person are listed first and coercive measures against property are listed after them. Coercive measures ordered by a court of justice are indicated in the statistics by the letter O after the acronym of the coercive measure. Wiretapping, remote surveillance and technical monitoring (chapter 5a of the Coercive Measures Act 2003/646) are not included in these statistics.
Some of the cases compiled into statistics as coercive measures, such as restraining orders and business prohibitions are of the warrant-type (warrant for apprehension), which lead into actions, should the order be violated.
Coercive measures are provided for in the Coercive Measures Act (1987/450). In addition, apprehension is provided for in the Police Act (so called apprehension based on the Police Act). Coercive measures against foreign nationals in special circumstances (e.g. formalities in connection with entry into the country or refugee status) are provided for in the Aliens Act.
The general grounds according to law for using a coercive measure (one or more) are recorded in the decision to use a coercive measure.
Coercive measures against a person's freedom may also rest on special grounds (one or more). One typical instance of special grounds is that there is reason to fear that the person suspected of being guilty takes flight.
- Custody period
The custody period is the period of time a person is detained, arrested or imprisoned on the basis of a coercive measure. The days of detention or arrest are counted in hours and the days of imprisonment on the basis of dates.
- Hidden crime
An offence not reported to the police and hence not registered as crime.
- Offence
An offence is an act or a dereliction for which a punishment is decreed by law.
- Offence known to the police
A matter entered into the police information system as an offence.
- Parking fine
A fine imposed for breaking prohibitions and limitations on the stopping and parking of vehicles and provisions on the use of a parking disc. Such a fine can also be imposed on grounds of unnecessary idling of motor vehicles.
These fines are imposed by the police or, if the municipality is responsible for supervision, also by a municipal parking inspector or his/her assistant. A parking offence for which a parking fine or a caution has been imposed is not registered as an offence.
- Percentage of offences solved
This figure indicates how many per cent of all offences which become known during a statistical year consist of offences solved. Therefore the figure may be higher than 100.
- Solved offence
An offence known to the police is regarded as solved when the circumstances in which the offence was committed, the parties involved as well as other factors necessary for making the decision on bringing charges and for the trial have been clarified. The decision is made by the officer in charge of the pre-trial investigation.
- Summary penal fee
A summary penal fee is a pecuniary penalty of a fixed amount and less severe than a fine. The use of the summary penal fee is prescribed by the Penal Code, and the summary penal fees payable for various infractions shall be provided by a Governmental Decree. In mainland Finland the summary penal fee has eight grades ranging from EUR 10 to EUR 115 and on the Åland Islands it has six grades ranging from EUR 7 to EUR 70.
A summary penal fee can be imposed on the basis of
- mild infractions of the Road Traffic Act or the Vehicles Act
- mild breach of the Waste Act prohibition against littering
- neglecting to pay the fishing management fee or the lure fishing fee as decreed in the Fishing Act, or neglecting to produce in time a receipt proving that such a fee has been paid.
- breach of the Public Order Act and mild infraction of regulations on items and substances suitable for harming others.
A summary penal fee is imposed by the police, a customs official or a border guard.
- Summary penal judgment
In summary penal judgment proceedings it is possible to impose a fine and a forfeiture of maximum EUR 1,000 for an offence for which the applicable provisions do not, under the relevant circumstances, set a more severe punishment than a fine or maximum six months imprisonment, or for breaking a legally confirmed prohibition reinforced with a penalty payment. Following this procedure requires the assent of both the injured party and the party to whom the summary penal order has been given. A summary penal order is given by the police, a customs official or a border guard and the summary penal judgment is given by the prosecutor.
Official Statistics of Finland (OSF):
Offences known to the police [e-publication].
ISSN=2242-7953. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 26.5.2013].
Access method: http://tilastokeskus.fi/til/polrik/kas_en.html.
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