The National Police Board cancelled some 753 licences for people working for private security companies over the course of last year, according to a written answer it gave to questions from the Ministry of the Interior.
The cancellations amount to 122 people who had licences allowing them to work as stewards, event security or door staff, and 40 who had licences allowing them to work as security guards protecting property. Altogether the police cancelled some 1,100 licences of different types.
The information provided does not however state what reasons lay behind the licence cancellations, but the board noted that any preliminary police investigation has to record whether or not a suspect has a valid permit to work as door staff or as a security guard.
At the end of last year there were 36,373 people licensed to work as door staff or security at events, and 16,815 with a security guard licence. Altogether police had granted some 64,450 licences of different types to people working for private security firms.
Police cancel several dozen company licences every year, but that is normally done at the request of the company concerned.
The board did not answer all the questions contained in the ministry's request, however. Among other items, the board did not state how often it uncovered evidence of crimes as it carried out its oversight role.
Oversight varies
Interior Minister Krista Mikkonen (Green) had asked the police board for information about oversight of private security guards after a series of incidents involving security guards using force in their work.
In December, Eastern Uusimaa police said they were investigating security staff on suspicion of assaults near train stations in the capital city region.
At the weekend a woman died at the Iso Omena shopping centre in Espoo after guards restrained her. Police are investigating the incident as suspected negligent homicide.
"Citizens have to be able to trust the professional skill of workers in the security sector," Mikkonen said in a tweet. "Whether it is public servants or workers at private security firms."
The National Police Board noted that there may be variations in oversight between different police departments.
In some places oversight is diligently undertaken in accordance with national guidlines, but in others it has been somewhat neglected due to the number of other tasks police have, and is therefore much more reactive.
The National Police Board said it has not uncovered any deficiencies in training, based on information from the National Police Academy.
