The Minister responded to the controversy by allocating extra funding and says that quicker decision making processes should eliminate future uncertainty.
Local police forces have been complaining that their budgets were not enough to cover basic police operations. Police stations said they no longer have the funds to replace retiring officers and have even complained that they did not have enough to pay for the petrol needed for their patrol cars. Police cadets in Tampere were also planning demonstrations, because they can't find jobs after graduating.
Some years ago the government increased the budget for recruiting and training new police officers, in response to a shortage of police around the country. But in recent months, only around half of new police graduates have been able to find employment with local police forces.
The Government's Police Department denies that too many police cadets are being trained and say that the graduates will find jobs, sooner or later. Police chiefs also reminded citizens that operational policing performance last year was the best in fifteen years.
YLE24
