What does the anti-terror bomb squad of the Finnish police do? What equipment do police officers have for special situations?
Demanding situations and the use of force is a new special exhibition at the Police Museum that will be opened on Friday 17 April 2015. The exhibition is about the history and current situation of the use of force by the Finnish police.
“Up until the 1970s, the ‘tough jobs’ were taken by the ordinary police just like all other cases, but today there are police officers with special training and special equipment. The new special exhibition illustrates the use of force by the Finnish police from a variety of perspectives, covering the patrol police, the National Special Intervention Unit (Karhu), the TEPO (Terror Bomb) team, crowd control (JOUHA) and the VATI special operations team,” says researcher Tiina Tuulasvaara-Kaleva .
The exhibition details the history of the use of force by the police in Finland since the 19th century, when the police were considered to have the authority to discipline the population “by the grace of God and the Crown”. Today, the powers of the police and the rules for the use of force are specified in detail by law.
“The way in which the Finnish police use force is far removed from what we see in films and on TV. More than 90% of the situations encountered by the police are resolved without the use of force. Indeed, the police must be able to exercise not just physical but also psychological power.”
Rare material and hands-on experiences
The Demanding situations and the use of force exhibition features a wealth of photos, rare film footage and items ranging from 19th-century Cossack whips to 21st-century weapons.
The exhibition offers not only information but also hands-on experiences. Visitors will be able to try their hand for instance at shifting the dummy that is used in the entrance examinations to the Police University College.
For small children, the kid’s department at the museum, Pokela, has a new group of teddy bears called the Jäti Bears, from the Finnish acronym for ‘exciting situation’.
“The teddy bears are wearing Jäti overalls. Kids can hold them and tell them things that are exciting or scary. The Pokela uniforms are available as usual: kids can try what it feels like to wear police overalls and perform police duties.”
There are Swedish and English translations of the texts in the exhibition. The translations are available on paper and also by smartphone, using the NFC IDs or QR codes provided. The museum has free Wi-Fi.
Come and visit our new special exhibition!
