Helsinki Police Department has significantly increased surveillance, emergency response, criminal investigations and deportations due to drug-related disturbances
Publication date26.9.2025 9.11 | Published in English on 29.9.2025 at 15.51
Type:News item
Call the emergency number 112 to report acute disturbances caused by drugs and submit tips to the police about other security concerns.
The Helsinki Police Department receives numerous reports about disturbances caused by substance abuse and feelings of insecurity. The disturbances are mainly related to drug use and related crime.
The Helsinki Police Department considers residents’ feedback when planning its activities. The police are constantly present in the city and ready to act around the clock, every day of the year.
The police encourage people to call the emergency number 112 in urgent situations where immediate assistance from the police, first aid or rescue services is required. Emergencies include assaults, drug dealing and dangerous or disruptive behaviour.
“The Helsinki Police Department is responding to emergencies faster than ever before. The improved response time is a result of increased visible surveillance in areas prone to disturbances. The number of surveillance tasks has increased significantly in the early part of the year,” says Superintendent Jere Roimu.
The average response time for the most urgent emergency calls was 4.8 minutes from the beginning of January to the end of August in 2025, even though the number of emergency calls increased by 13 percent during the same period. For the whole of 2025, the total number of emergency calls is expected to be 161,380.
Excellent emergency response readiness and increased surveillance reduce disruptive behavior, prevent crimes in advance, and speed up the investigation of crimes that have already occurred.
Residents are asked to assist the police in targeting their surveillance efforts, as drug-related security risks and the number of tasks are skyrocketing
The Helsinki Police Department monitors and anticipates the security situation in real-time, based on which the police target surveillance, emergency services, criminal investigations, and other measures. Surveillance is targeted in an information-driven manner based on the police’s own situation awareness and feedback from stakeholders and citizens.
The amount of surveillance carried out at locations causing disturbances has increased by 121 percent compared to 2024. During the current year, the police have removed 31,452 individuals causing disturbances from trouble spots. This is 68 per cent more than in 2024. By the end of August 2025, 11,367 individuals had been apprehended. This represents a 20 per cent increase over the corresponding period in 2024.
Residents can assist the police by sending non-urgent tips to vihjeet.helsinki@poliisi.fi about possible drug dealing or other criminal activity, or activity that jeopardises street safety.
Drug seizures by the Helsinki Police Department have increased
Criminal investigations into drug dealers are conducted on the streets and online. As a rule, methods that are not visible on the streets are used for this activity.
In 2025, the Helsinki Police Department has uncovered 3,469 drug offences, which is 14 percent more than at the same time last year. A total of 3,368 suspects have been identified in connection with drug offences, which is 15 percent more than in 2024.
The Helsinki Police Department has already sent 475 kilograms of seized narcotics to the National Bureau of Investigation’s forensic laboratory this year, compared to a total of 448 kilograms seized in 2024.
‘The number of drug seizures and the quantities seized by the Helsinki Police Department have risen for cannabis, amphetamine, Alpha-PVP, and cocaine,’ says Senior Detective Superintendent Jari Illukka.
The proportion of foreigners involved in street and online drug sales has increased. As a result, the Helsinki Police Department has enhanced its criminal deportations.
The Helsinki Police Department has deported 598 individuals from the country so far this year. This is 201 more than last year, representing a 50 percent increase.
“The increase is largely due to more effective monitoring and the fact that deportations have become an integral part of maintaining public order and safety. Amendments to the Aliens Act have also given the police more powers in this regard. Deportations related to the prevention of immediate threats to public order and safety have increased,” says Superintendent Simo Kauppinen.
The harmful effects of drugs are escalating, and combating this issue requires clearly defined roles for public sector actors and aligned objectives
The number of drug users and the amount of drugs used in Finland are skyrocketing. This causes multidisciplinary security, health, and social problems.
The growing demand for drugs increases international organised crime related to their manufacture, import, and distribution. Drug dealing on the streets and online, as well as drug use, causes public disorder. These often take the form of various types of violence, property crime, and other crimes. These types of crimes target users and their immediate circle, and to an increasing extent also bystanders and specific professional groups.
The adverse effects of drugs affect an increasingly wide range of people, and combating the resulting security, health, and social problems requires an increasing amount of resources from society. From the point of view of overall security, it is therefore essential to halt the steady increase in the number of drug users, especially young people.
“The Helsinki Police Department has its own role and core mission. The efficiency of operational activities has been significantly improved during the current year, and police services are being continuously developed in line with changes in the operating environment and feedback received,” says Police Chief Jari Liukku.
The primary goal of the Helsinki Police Department is to meet residents’ expectations when it comes to essential police services.
“However, stopping the growth of the drug problem requires a real-time picture of the situation, more effective preventive communication based on facts, a more focused attitude, and a shared view within the public sector on the underlying causes of the drug problem, how best to combat them, and the role of each actor,” says Liukku.
Two truths are better than one: Why verifying HUMINT with OSINT makes stronger cases
Pairing human intelligence with open-source intelligence ensures investigators base decisions on facts — not assumptions
August 23, 2025 05:23 PM •
You’re sitting across from a confidential informant who just dropped a name. A suspected member of a drug trafficking organization. The location of a possible murder weapon. Maybe even the location of a stash house. It’s solid intel — at least, it feels that way. But it’s just one source. One version of the truth. And one version should not be good enough.
In law enforcement, human intelligence (HUMINT) is often the spark that lights an investigation. It’s raw, fast and sometimes the only lead available. But it’s also inherently flawed. People lie. They misremember. They exaggerate. And sometimes, they simply want to get out of jail or get cash. That’s why good investigators should not stop at what they’re told — they test it. They challenge it. They verify it. And today, one of the most powerful tools for that verification is open-source intelligence (OSINT).
Used together, HUMINT and OSINT form a feedback loop. HUMINT provides the tip. OSINT tests the tip, or vice versa. If both align, the case gains momentum. If they diverge, it forces a closer look. In either scenario, investigators stay grounded in facts — not assumptions.
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How HUMINT adds context to criminal investigations
HUMINT offers context no database can. A seasoned CI can tell you who’s feuding with who, who just got out of prison, and who changed cars last week. They’ll know the nickname that never shows up in TLO, the burner phone used only for late-night pickups, or the shift in gang leadership no agency memo has documented yet.
But they’re also human — meaning the intel comes bundled with bias, misunderstanding, and sometimes ulterior motives.
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Using OSINT to corroborate or challenge HUMINT
That’s where OSINT comes in. A CI says a suspect drives a black Charger. You check parking lot security footage from a nearby gas station and spot a black Dodge — license plate partially visible. You run Facebook and see the suspect tagged in a photo standing next to the same car. A neighbor on Nextdoor mentions “a sketchy guy with a black sports car” showing up late at night. You check and verify that same car parked in the background of a geotagged Instagram or Snapchat post. All of these independent points, all lining up.
That’s the power of OSINT. It lets you corroborate HUMINT without tipping your hand. You don’t need a knock-and-talk to verify a suspect’s online persona. You don’t need a subpoena to browse public Venmo or PayPal payments that hint at drug transactions. You can use Zillow to verify the layout of an address a CI described, Google Earth to see the street view, and the Wayback Machine to recover a social media post the suspect deleted.
Testing a CI tip
Scenario: A CI says a suspect is using a storage unit on the edge of town to stash narcotics.
Your move:
- Check Google Earth for street-view images of the unit and nearby vehicles
- Scan social media for geotagged posts at the location
- Review public photos or reviews of the facility for clues
A CI says a stolen item was posted for sale — now it’s gone. You pull the cache or archived version of the listing and screenshot it for your file. You search OfferUp, Letgo, Facebook Marketplace, and Craigslist to cross-check dates and account names. The more angles you check, the less you’re guessing.
You can run usernames through Have I Been Pwned to find old email ties, and this is all before ever needing TLO. Plug license plates into public ALPR scan sites or car spotting forums. Cross-reference tattoos described by your source against photos on Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok. Use advanced Google operators like “site:reddit.com + suspect name” to find overlooked threads or digital footprints. And never underestimate what shows up in local Facebook groups — especially those centered around gossip, HOA alerts, or scanner traffic.
Disproving false information
Scenario: A CI claims the suspect attended a gang meeting Friday night.
OSINT check:
- Instagram shows the suspect tagged at a dinner across town
- TikTok geotags confirm the same time and place
- Digital timestamps disprove the CI’s story
Training question: How would you recalibrate your relationship with this informant while keeping them engaged?
But the process also works in reverse. Sometimes, OSINT disproves what you’re told. A CI says the suspect was at a house party Thursday night. Snapchat stories and tagged Instagram posts show the suspect working late at a local bar. Geotagged photos and digital timestamps don’t lie. When that happens, the goal isn’t to discredit — it’s to calibrate. Informants who know you verify what they say tend to offer better information over time.
When OSINT misleads and HUMINT corrects
Scenario: Marketplace posts show a user with the suspect’s name selling high-end power tools. You consider a theft case tie-in.
Reality check:
- Common name triggers a false match across listings
- HUMINT from a CI confirms the suspect uses a distinct nickname and different payment handle
- A neighbor contact states the suspect was out of state that week
Takeaway: Use HUMINT to validate identities when OSINT signals overlap or names are common. Confirm handles, nicknames, vehicles and associates before acting.
Why HUMINT and OSINT together build stronger cases
Like any tool, HUMINT has its place — but its strength comes from being tested. And OSINT, for all its reach, still can’t replace the human pulse of a community member who knows where to look and who to watch. It’s the interplay that matters: real-world observation backed by digital verification.
The best investigators don’t just gather intelligence — they test it. Two truths, pulled from two different worlds, build a stronger foundation than either source could alone.
Because in this line of work, you don’t bet your case on what one person says. You bet it on what you can prove — twice.
Watch: Police1 investigations webinars
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Brandon Burley, M.P.A., is a retired detective with law enforcement experience in investigations ranging from narcotics to violent crimes. He specializes in leveraging modern investigative tools like social media OSINT and geofencing to enhance public safety along with established tactics of HUMINT. Brandon is also an accomplished author and educator, dedicated to advancing ethical practices and practical solutions in criminal justice.
