One important factor behind the popularity was the Marias and Mörkös special exhibition, which opened in spring 2024 and features, among other things, the world’s fastest police motorcycle and police cars from various decades.
In 2024, the Police Museum attracted some 42,600 visitors. The previous visitor record was set in 2023, as the number of visitors was approximately 42,000.
“The special exhibition “Marias and Mörkös – Police Vehicles On and Off the Road”, opened at the end of April, has brought groups interested in vehicles and motoring to the museum. The police motorcycles and old police cars on display have delighted visitors of all ages. It is great that we have once again set a visitor record, in the 20th anniversary year of the Police Museum,” says Museum Director, Intendant Lauri Haavisto.
The Police Museum is a visitor destination for the whole family and is particularly praised by museum visitors for its child-friendly nature.
“Reaching children and young people is important to us, and this way, we contribute to supporting the preventive work of the police. At the Police Museum, children get the opportunity to put themselves in a police officer’s boots and become familiar with police work at the same time. Last year, we launched traffic safety events for young people as a new activity, together with Central Finland Police Department.”
In August, the Police Museum participated in the national Police Day. During the event, visitors could see police horses and dogs at the museum, as well as the museum’s social media police cat. Guided tours were also offered to visitors alongside various activity points. The Police Day event attracted thousands of visitors to the museum.
Approximately 3,000 visitors to the Crime Museum
The Crime Museum, operating under the Police Museum, attracted approximately 3,000 visitors in 2024. The Crime Museum is located on the National Bureau of Investigation's premises in Vantaa, and is only open to visitor groups consisting of police personnel and stakeholders of the police.
“A new exhibition was opened at the Crime Museum after a couple of years of remodeling and renovation work. The exhibition presents, for example, criminal history and the development of forensic criminal investigation. It includes exhibits from well-known crime cases, including the Lake Bodom triple murder,” says Lauri Haavisto.
“The Crime Museum's exhibition is not open to the general public, but some exhibits from the Crime Museum's collection are on display at the Police Museum in Tampere. For example, there are shoes related to the Lake Bodom triple murder and the talisman-magic charm of the notorious scammer Auervaara.”
