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27.10.2021

The Police called youth from immigrant backgrounds to tell them how the police could become more diverse

Nora Luoma
Nora Luoma
On Saturday 9 October we gathered to Viikki Youth Centre with representatives from the National Police Board, Preventative Measures from the Helsinki Police Station and two dozen youth from from immigrant backgrounds to discuss diversity in the police.

The aim of the workshop was to make young people's voices heard, so the event was led by experienced youth counsellor Anki Herlin. The young people, who come from Moniheli's member organisations Sompet, Kanava, Mirsal and Tieto on valtaa said that they had personally had very little to do with the police in their lives, but they also had a good understanding of what police work is about, for example maintaining public safety and solving crimes.

The police have recently targeted recruitment at minority groups and would need to recruit more police officers with an immigrant background. Young people said they would be interested in seeing, for example, realistic videos of what police work is like. There should also be clear information about what is needed to apply for the police.

During the workshop, police officers Abdi, Daniel, Janne, Michela and Aleksis talked about their jobs and police work in general and answered the young people's questions.

For example, the youth wondered whether police work is hard and whether only young and fit people can do it. We found out that police work requires good physical fitness and that there are certain physical requirements for the entrance exams.

"The more experienced and older police officers are good at reading situations, which is helpful for the younger ones," says Michela Söderström, a senior police officer working in Preventative Measures.

Pöydällä iso paperi, jossa lukee Mitä on poliisin työ? jonka ympärille liimattu post-it-lappuja.

Abdi Egal, a police officer working in Investigation, said he had studied for the Police University College entrance exam with great enthusiasm and still only got in on his third attempt. He told the youth not to be discouraged by a failed test, but to persevere if they want to become a police officer. The police officers handed out entrance exam books to the young people and stressed that it is possible to apply for the Police College four times a year.

The young people guessed that the police work is communal, and Senior Constable Janne Korhonen confirmed this. "In the police, you don't do anything alone, you always work together, and the work is really interesting and varied," he said.

The police officers added that there are also many civilian staff working in the police in various capacities. These jobs do not require police training and do not involve working in the uniform.

The police officers with an immigrant background said that, with one exception, they had never experienced racism while working as a police officer. In general, the authority of the uniformed police officer is respected, and on the other hand, it is easy for a police officer who belongs to a minority to gain the trust of clients from different backgrounds.

Kaksi poliisia, kolma monikulttuurista nuorta ja ohjaaja pöydän ääressä keskustelemassa.

For the police, public trust is an absolute prerequisite for action.

"The police must be able to serve all citizens equally and represent a diverse society," says Johanna Guessous from the National Police Board. "We want young people from diverse backgrounds to want to apply to become police officers."

And Moniheli aims to help achieve this goal, because a diverse and equitable society is built from such pieces.

”Moniheli lähti tähän mukaan, koska halusimme tehdä poliisin tutuksi nuorille”, sanoo toiminnanjohtaja Abdirahim Hussein.

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