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1. Review on offences recorded by the police, customs and border guard

Thefts, frauds and extortions on the rise in 2020

1.1. Summary

A total of 686,000 offences and infractions were recorded in 2020 by the police, customs and border guard, which was 16.2 per cent fewer than one year before. Of these offences and infractions, 543,400 were offences against the Criminal Code. Their number increased by 20 per cent from the previous year. Most offences outside the Criminal Code consists of traffic infractions, violations of social welfare legislation on road traffic and motor vehicle infractions. The Road Traffic Act was revised on 1 June 2020, and as a result of the reform an administrative sanction will be imposed for certain traffic infractions instead of a fine. For this reason, the number of traffic infractions in the statistics on offences has fallen considerably.

Figure 1 Offences against the Criminal Code 1980 to 2020

*After 2016 not all of the Traffic offences are reported to prosecutor

Most of the offences and infractions are recorded by the police. The police recorded 676,600 offences and infractions in 2020, which was 16 per cent fewer than one year before. Offences against the Criminal Code increased by 20.9 per cent. A total of 536,600 of them were recorded.

The customs recorded 6,500 offences and infractions of which 5,100 were offences against the Criminal Code. The border guard recorded 3,000 offences and infractions of which 1,700 were offences against the Criminal Code. Offences and infractions recorded by the customs decreased by 17.5 per cent and those recorded by the border guard decreased by 45 per cent.

During 2020, the police, customs and border guard solved a total of 507,800 offences and infractions, which is 22 per cent lower than in 2018. The number of offences against the Criminal Code was 313,400, which is up by 14 per cent on the year before.

1.2 Offences against property

Number of offences against property increased by 18.7 per cent

A total of 256,500 offences against property were recorded in 2020, which is 18.7 per cent more than in the previous year. More offences against property were last recorded in 2011, when their number was 259,800.

The recorded number of theft offences (Criminal Code, Chapter 28, Sections 1 to 3) was 139,100, which is close on 10 per cent (12,200 cases) more than in 2019. The number of aggravated thefts (Criminal Code, Chapter 28, Section 2) was 2,600, which is nearly seven per cent lower than in 2019. The number of petty thefts (Criminal Code, Chapter 28, Section 3) grew by nearly eight per cent (4,900 cases) and theft offences (Criminal Code, Chapter 28, Section 1) increased by good 12 per cent (7,500 cases) compared with the previous year. In all, 67,800 petty thefts and 68,600 thefts were reported. Compared to the beginning of the 2000s, the number of theft offences has fallen by around 30 per cent.

Of all theft offences, thefts and petty thefts from shops amounted to 52,500, which is 9.9 per cent more than in the year before.

Figure 2. Thefts 2000 to 2020

In 2020, the number of reported burglaries (thefts, aggravated thefts or petty thefts through unlawful breaking in) was 34,800, which is 4,900 cases (16.4 per cent) more than in the year before. The number of burglary offences has been falling throughout the 2010s apart for a couple of exceptional years. Break-ins into cars have decreased especially much as their number has almost halved. In 2020, a total of 8,800 break-ins into cars were recorded, which is 1,300 more than in the previous year.

The number of break-ins into houses reported was just under 3,400, which is unchanged from the year before. The number of break-ins into free-time residences recorded was 1,400, which is close on 14 per cent more than in 2019. The numbers of these offences vary much yearly but the general trend in the 2010s has been decreasing.

Figure 3. Burglaries 2009 to 2020

In total, 6,200 cases of thefts of a motor vehicle for temporary use (Criminal Code, Chapter 28, Section 9), unauthorised uses and thefts of a motor vehicle were recorded, which is nearly nine per cent more than in the year before.

Table 1. Thefts of use of a motor vehicle 2011-2020

	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020
Total	9,464	6,821	6,126	5,953	5,878	5,253	4,868	4,540	4,333	4,741
Car	5,996	4,335	3,645	3,511	3,712	3,253	2,937	2,893	2,758	2,906
Moped	2,116	1,631	1,560	1,524	1,240	1,088	929	795	776	795
Motorcycle	1,021	629	656	681	722	694	770	623	562	713
Boat/vessel	32	31	34	19	19	21	34	22	20	34
Other motor vehicle	299	195	231	218	185	197	198	207	217	293

Altogether, 2,000 robberies (Criminal Code, Chapter 31, Sections 1 to 2, 2a) were recorded, which is slightly over 10 per cent more than in the year before. Of the robberies, 448 were aggravated, which is 101 cases more than in 2019. Nearly two-thirds of robberies occurred in public places.

The number of damages to property reported was 33,400, which is almost 10 per cent more than in 2019. Reports of damages to property in public places decreased most. They went down by close on six per cent. In turn, damages to property committed in a private place increased by 18 per cent.

The number of reported frauds (Criminal Code, Chapter 36, Sections 1-3) has been growing for a few years. The number of reported frauds was 34,000, which is 5,400 cases (18.4 per cent) more than in the previous year. In all, 7,400 means of payment frauds (Criminal Code, Chapter 37, Sections 8 to 11) were reported, which is nearly 1,100 cases (16.9 per cent) more than in the previous year.

Examined by region, most offences against property were reported in Uusimaa, both measured by the number of cases and relative to the size of the population. The offences are recorded based on the municipality where the offence occurs, not the municipality of residence of the suspect, so offences committed by tourists and other visitors are visible in the figures for that region.

Table 2. Selected offences against property by region per 100,000 population in 2020

	Offences against property	Theft 28:1	Aggravated theft 28:2	Petty theft 28:3	Breaking into a residence	Breaking into a summer residence	Robberies total	Damages to property total
Whole country	4,688	1,242	48	1,227	61	25	36	604
Uusimaa	5,959	1,746	66	1,576	71	10	58	730
Southwest Finland	4,445	1,363	46	1,091	58	25	30	538
Satakunta	3,954	1,103	52	1,021	71	27	20	630
Kanta-Häme	3,758	1,064	57	918	65	28	26	594
Pirkanmaa	4,634	1,256	50	1,255	64	27	30	563
Päijät-Häme	5,161	1,607	43	1,132	51	40	28	599
Kymenlaakso	4,212	1,157	72	1,069	89	46	27	594
South Karelia	4,086	1,027	35	956	39	28	17	589
South Savo	3,197	772	33	804	60	60	16	510
North Savo	3,556	874	24	1,112	42	39	22	624
North Karelia	3,247	791	21	1,012	41	30	21	448
Central Finland	4,148	1,208	48	1,075	66	71	38	550
South Ostrobothnia	2,243	367	32	669	46	15	21	399
Ostrobothnia	2,810	825	31	820	47	17	18	461
Central Ostrobothnia	2,696	412	12	1,127	29	3	24	441
North Ostrobothnia	3,557	719	21	1,287	49	19	37	524
Kainuu	3,179	527	22	1,250	43	18	13	614
Lapland	3,424	700	38	1,030	52	24	20	569
Åland	2,028	388	40	491	66	17	10	621

1.3 Violence and sexual offences

Number of reported rape offences on the decline in 2020

In all, 86 suspected offences against life were reported. This is 14 cases more than in 2019, which was the lowest figure in the 2000s. The number of offences against life has primarily been on the decline. Between 2011 and 2020, an average of 89 cases per year have been recorded while between 2001 and 2010 the average was 124. Almost 90 per cent of all offences against life were committed in private dwellings or some other private location. The number of offences against life in 2015 included 12 murders made with terrorist intent abroad, which the Finnish police were investigating. Of the offences against life recorded in 2017, two were murders made with terrorist intent. Altogether, 383 attempted homicides were recorded, which is 54 cases fewer than in the year before.

In 2020, a total of 33,300 assaults were reported, which is almost 600 cases fewer than in the previous year. In the 2010s, an average of 35,000 assaults have been recorded per year. The number of basic assaults went down by 1.9 per cent. In all, 23,200 such assaults were reported. The number of aggravated assaults went up by 10.7 per cent. Nearly 1,800 of them were recorded. The number of petty assaults recorded was 8,300, which is 3.3 per cent fewer than in the previous year. The legislative amendment, which entered into force at the beginning of 2011, considerably increased the number of assault offences recorded in 2011. After the legislative amendment, petty assaults on minors or close relatives became officially prosecutable. In 2011, the number of assault offences recorded was 40,200.

A total of 1,450 rapes (rape, aggravated rape, Paragraph 3) were recorded, which is 1.8 per cent fewer than in the previous year. Of all rape offences, nearly 90 per cent were committed in private dwellings or some other private location. The recorded number of sexual abuses of a child was 1,770, which is 3.6 per cent more than in 2019. The act on aggravated rape of a child entered into force on 15 April 2019. During 2020, a total of 68 cases of aggravated rape of a child were reported. In the statistics, aggravated rape of a child is included in the figures on cases of sexual abuse of a child. In addition, 1,172 other sexual offences were reported. Of them, 555 were cases of sexual harassment, which is 37 cases fewer than in 2019. Sexual harassment was added to the Criminal Code on 1 September 2014. The numbers of rapes and sexual abuses of a child vary much yearly. Individual reports may include a series of incidents comprising several criminal acts.

Table 3. Selected violent offences by region per 100,000 population in 2020

	Offences against life and health	Offences against life and attempted	Assault 21:5	Aggravated assault 21:6	Petty assault 21:7
Whole country	650	8	421	32	150
Uusimaa	742	10	511	34	146
Southwest Finland	606	8	372	23	161
Satakunta	639	5	413	30	140
Kanta-Häme	548	7	305	30	167
Pirkanmaa	591	7	359	29	159
Päijät-Häme	542	10	333	33	131
Kymenlaakso	583	8	356	40	137
South Karelia	574	7	334	28	180
South Savo	600	6	326	34	198
North Savo	672	13	351	31	224
North Karelia	471	8	304	20	107
Central Finland	738	8	516	36	141
South Ostrobothnia	587	7	397	39	111
Ostrobothnia	535	7	354	32	114
Central Ostrobothnia	628	15	372	49	169
North Ostrobothnia	582	6	398	28	124
Kainuu	826	8	544	45	170
Lapland	629	7	374	25	173
Åland	727	3	478	33	163

Relative to the population in the region, most sexual offences were reported in Central Finland, 100 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Most cases of sexual abuse of a child relative to the population were reported in Satakunta. There a total of 120 sexual abuses of children were reported, that is, 56 cases per hundred thousand inhabitants.

Table 4. Sexual offences by region per 100,000 population in 2020

	Sexual offences	Sexual abuse of a child	Rape	Other sexual offences
Whole country	80	32	26	21
Uusimaa	87	34	27	25
Southwest Finland	55	21	21	14
Satakunta	97	56	17	24
Kanta-Häme	68	18	28	22
Pirkanmaa	74	27	31	17
Päijät-Häme	57	20	27	11
Kymenlaakso	76	27	18	31
South Karelia	71	37	24	10
South Savo	55	20	26	9
North Savo	66	18	26	22
North Karelia	54	20	21	13
Central Finland	100	45	26	29
South Ostrobothnia	94	35	28	30
Ostrobothnia	92	53	19	19
Central Ostrobothnia	32	7	15	10
North Ostrobothnia	81	34	30	18
Kainuu	61	20	22	20
Lapland	67	21	28	18
Åland	83	37	33	13

1.4 Traffic offences and infractions

In 2020, a total of 132,400 different traffic offences were recorded, which is 19.7 per cent more than in the year before. In addition, 129,500 traffic infractions, violations of social welfare legislation on road traffic, and motor vehicle infractions were recorded. Of all traffic offences and infractions, 157,400 were cases of exceeding speed limits. Their number fell by 53 per cent from the previous year. The Road Traffic Act was revised on 1 June 2020, and as a result of the reform an administrative sanction will be imposed for certain traffic infractions instead of a fine. For this reason, the number of traffic infractions in the statistics on offences decreased considerably.

In 2020, a total of 20,200 cases of driving while intoxicated were recorded, which is 1,700 cases (9.3 per cent) more than in the previous year. Altogether, 13,300 basic cases of driving while intoxicated (Criminal Code, Chapter 23, Section 3) were recorded, which is good 13 per cent more than in the year before. Altogether, 6,900 cases of driving while seriously intoxicated (Criminal Code, Chapter 23, Section 4) were recorded, which is close on three per cent more than in the year before.

Figure 4. Drunken driving offences in 1980–2020

In cases of driving while seriously intoxicated, alcohol is still the intoxicant in around 90 per cent of cases, but three-quarters of the basic cases of driving while intoxicated are caused by other narcotic substances.

Figure 5. Drunken driving offences after intoxicant in 2003–2020 (The figure was corrected  on 12 May 2021)

Good 200 waterway, air or rail traffic intoxication cases were recorded, which is approximately 15 per cent fewer than in the year before. Thirty-nine cases of non-motor powered traffic intoxication were recorded.

1.5 Narcotics and alcohol offences

Recorded narcotics offences still growing

Altogether, 37,100 narcotics offences were recorded, which is 14.8 per cent more than in the year before. A total of 1,450 aggravated narcotics offences were recorded, which is 100 cases less than in the previous year. In total, 23,800 unlawful uses of narcotics were recorded, which is 2,700 cases (12.9 per cent) more than in the previous year.

In all, 1,400 alcohol offences (Criminal Code, Chapter 50a) and infractions were recorded. This is nearly 22.3 per cent fewer than in the year before.

Figure 6. Alcohol and narcotics offences in 2000 to 2020

When compiling statistics on offences involving intoxicating substances, offences comprising several criminal acts are entered as one. Offences involving intoxicating substances are such that they are generally found out only because of the activity of the police, customs or border guard officials and most of the offences remain undisclosed.

1.6 Other offences and infractions

Altogether 5,100 reports of invasion of domestic premises and harassing communications (Criminal Code, Chapter 24, Sections 1-2) were recorded, which is 400 more cases than one year earlier. In all, 110 cases of invasion or aggravated invasion of public premises (Criminal Code, Chapter 24, Sections 3-4) were recorded. Illicit observation was reported 390 times, which is 20 cases fewer than in the previous year.

In all, 9,800 menaces, 5,000 defamations, and good 700 stalking cases were recorded. The number of menaces grew by five per cent and that of defamations by nine per cent.

In all, 4,300 identity thefts were recorded, which is nine per cent more than in the previous year. Altogether 21,100 disseminations of information violating personal privacy were reported. This is 20,700 more than one year earlier. The increased number is due to information disseminated as a result of computer break-ins.

Good 300 employment offences (Criminal Code, Chapter 37) were reported, which is around 20 cases fewer than in the year before. Good 500 environmental offences (Criminal Code, Chapter 48) were recorded, which is approximately 60 cases more than in the previous year.

1.7 Solving of offences

During 2020, the police, customs and border guard solved a total of 507,800 offences and infractions, which is 22 per cent fewer than in the previous year. The fall was mainly caused by a fall in the number of traffic offences and infractions. The Road Traffic Act was revised on 1 June 2020, and as a result of the reform an administrative sanction will be imposed for certain traffic infractions instead of a fine. For this reason, the number of traffic infractions in the statistics on offences has fallen considerably. Altogether 313,400 offences against the Criminal Code were solved, which is good 38,400 cases more than in the previous year. The clearance rate of all offences and infractions was 74 per cent and the clearance rate of offences against the Criminal Code was 57.7 per cent. The corresponding rates were 79.2 and 60.7 per cent in the year before. The clearance rate is calculated as the share of solved offences in the statistical year compared to the number of reported offences in the statistical year. For this reason, the clearance rate may be over 100 per cent for some year.

The clearance rate varies by type of offence quite strongly. Only approximately 15 per cent of thefts (Criminal Code, Chapter 28, Section 1) are solved while one-half of petty theft (Criminal Code, Chapter 28, Section 3) cases are solved. The clearance rate of assault offences has decreased slightly in recent years. In 2020, the clearance rate of assault offences was 67 per cent, having been 80 per cent in the beginning of the 2000s. Due to the manner of disclosure, cases of driving while intoxicated, traffic offences and offences involving intoxicating substances almost all become solved.

Table 5. Clearance rate of certain types of offences in 1986-2020

	1986 - 1990	1991 - 1995	1996 - 2000	2001 - 2005	2006 - 2010	2011 - 2015	2016 - 2019	2020
Offences against the Criminal Code	69	58	57	63	67	63	61	58
Theft 28:1	25	17	14	15	18	15	15	15
Aggravated theft 28:2	39	29	40	41	38	34	33	38
Petty theft 28:3	78	70	67	58	57	56	52	54
Robberies total	53	43	42	45	49	53	54	55
Damages to property total	29	27	27	26	25	22	23	24
Attempted manslaughter, murder or killing	95	91	92	94	97	92	90	95
Assault 21:5	79	74	76	80	81	76	65	69
Aggravated assault 21:6	85	84	83	87	88	84	79	82
Petty assault 21:7	95	86	79	75	73	72	61	59
Sexual abuse of a child	91	84	88	82	86	75	60	55
Rape	63	56	57	63	66	70	65	83

The lowest clearance rates for offences against the Criminal Code were found in the Eastern Uusimaa and Helsinki police departments. On the other hand, most offences were reported to the Helsinki police department, 92,900 cases. This is some 17,000 more than to the Central Finland police department, which recorded second most offences.

Figure 7. Clearance rate of offences against the Criminal Code after authorities 2018 to 2020

Source: Statistics on offences and coercive measures 2020, Offences reported. Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Kimmo Haapakangas 029 551 3252, rikos@stat.fi

Head of Department in charge: Hannele Orjala

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Updated 12.5.2021