Respect for fundamental and human rights is not left “with a uniform in the closet to wait for the next shift,” the police department emphasizes in its decision.
Helsinki the chief of staff has been fired by the police due to racist communications. The man will be arrested immediately, meaning that he will no longer be able to perform his duties.
According to the police department, the man had sent messages to his police colleague between 2017 and 2020 that are inappropriate and violate fundamental rights and dignity. The police department has concealed the messages sent by the man from his decision.
The Helsinki Police Department is previously fired two police officers suspected of extreme right-wing connections. In addition, the Eastern Uusimaa Police Department has dismissed one police officer for the same reason.
At the hearing, the man said he was ashamed of the messages and saw nothing to justify in them. According to him, the messages do not describe his real views and attitudes.
According to the man, he has nothing bad to say about immigrants or minorities at all. He said the messages were very tasteless with black humor and some kind of release of pressure.
The messages were found when a device search was conducted on the phones of a colleague suspected of crimes.
Helsinki Deputy Chief of Police Heikki Kopperoinen notes in the dismissal decision that one of the key tasks of the police is to safeguard the rights of individuals, in particular fundamental and human rights.
“In this context, examples of fundamental rights include equality, the right to life, the right to security and freedom of religion and conscience.”
However, respect for fundamental and human rights is not just a requirement of conduct related to official duties, Kopperoinen continues.
“It shouldn’t be locked in a closet with a work suit after a work day or left on a desk to wait for the next shift. Rather, respect for fundamental and human rights is a guideline or value that a police officer always wants to carry with him or her, both in office and in private. ”
According to Kopperoinen, the messages of both the chief of staff and the police colleague show a disregard for fundamental and human rights. There have been repeated posts for more than three years, meaning it wasn’t just a single diversion.
Kopperoisen according to reports, the chief constable’s attitude towards minorities may be downright hostile.
The behavior has seriously jeopardized trust in the Helsinki Police Department and the entire police organization.
While there may have been long periods between messages, that doesn’t change the estimate. The chief of staff would therefore have had plenty of time to consider his behavior.
“Offensive and inappropriate language cannot be turned into humor with pictorial symbols. There is not the slightest laugh at the long-running contempt for human rights. ”
According to the police department, the chief of staff was unfit to act as a police officer to such an extent that the service did not continue during the period of dismissal. He was therefore arrested for that time.
Helsinki a man working as a police guard, in turn, received a remark about his communications with the Whatsapp group, which includes those working in the security sector. The name of the group was Vihti-Karkkila Protectorate.
Parts of the decision have been encrypted, but it is clear that the discussion group had produced a fuel bottle. According to the guard, it was an experiment, and he admitted that he had tampered with the video related to the cylinder experiment.
The group also called for the use of encrypted messaging channels. According to the police department, this cannot be considered inappropriate per se.
However, the description of the nature of the group and the cylinder experiment give reason to suspect that the need to conceal communications stems from some disguise for inappropriate or even illegal activity.
This undermines confidence in the actions of the guard and the entire police department, and therefore the man was warned. The man had also, in one of his messages, conveyed information that he was suspected of receiving in the course of his duties.
The second chief of staff was not sanctioned for communicating. He had taken a distance from the whole matter and informed his police colleague that he did not want to be involved.
Correction 20.1.2022 at 15.18: It was reported that three police officers had been fired by the Helsinki Police Department due to extreme right-wing connections. However, one of the dismissals was made by the Eastern Uusimaa Police Department.
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