Police Museum - Current issues

Welcome to the Police Museum during the winter holiday

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 13:41:00 GMT

The Police Museum in Hervanta, Tampere, is open to all, free of charge. We present the history and activities of the Finnish police from the Middle Ages to the present day.

“At the Police Museum, you can, for example, sit in a police van, take a picture of yourself in the suspect registration chair and watch old films about the police. In the special children’s section, young museum visitors can wear police overalls,” says Curator Maritta Jokiniemi.

The texts of all Police Museum exhibitions are available in Finnish, Swedish and English.

“During the winter holiday week in the Tampere region, from Tuesday to Saturday 24–28 February, we will organize free guided tours in Finnish. In addition, on Wednesday, 25 February and Thursday, 26 February, you can meet the gaming police at the Police Museum and play Minecraft with them.”

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The Police Museum welcomed 41,000 visitors in 2025

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 09:53:00 GMT

In 2025, the Police Museum welcomed around 41,000 visitors, slightly fewer than in previous years. A record 42,600 people visited in 2024 and around 42,000 in 2023.

In 2025, the Police Museum showed the special exhibition on Art Crime Cases and the online exhibition, "In Memoriam – Police killed in the line of duty".

“The Art Crime Cases exhibition, shown in our new gallery facility, describes Finnish art crime through 14 criminal cases. The In Memoriam online exhibition examines the history of police fatalities,” says Lauri Haavisto, the Intendant and Director of the Museum.

Among the events held at the museum, Police Day once again attracted the largest audience. The event was an opportunity for the public to admire police horses, watch a police dog show, and learn about various police vehicles.

“We also offered museum visitors a number of free guided tours, an event titled “From art fraud to cybercrime", and a series of lectures titled “Police Officers of the Year". Recording of the lectures at the events are available on the Police Museum’s YouTube channel (in Finnish)," says Lauri Haavisto.

In 2025, around 3,200 people visited the Crime Museum, which is part of the Police Museum. The Crime Museum is at the National Bureau of Investigation in Vantaa and is only open to visitor groups consisting of police personnel and stakeholders of the police.

New in 2026: a travelling exhibition on the World of Forgeries

What is being forged and who is doing the forging? How do people get caught using forgeries? The Police Museum’s new travelling exhibition introduces the world of forgeries.

“We have produced a travelling exhibition that for example museums, libraries and schools can borrow and display on their premises. The exhibition consists of eight roll-up posters and is available in Finnish, Swedish and English.”

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Police Museum closed for Christmas from 15 December to 19 January

Tue, 09 Dec 2025 08:01:00 GMT

You can take a virtual tour of the Police Museum using your own computer or phone. You can take a peek into the exhibition space and discover interesting objects and videos. There are two virtual presentations: you can visit the permanent exhibition, “The Police is Here!”, and the special exhibition, “The Coloured Truth”’, which has already ended, about art crime in Finland.

Four online exhibitions are now available. The recently launched “In Memoriam” exhibition focuses on police officers killed in the line of duty. The “Crime and Love” exhibition examines how changes in the law concerning sexual minorities have affected police work and the rights of sexual minorities. The “Police of Independent Finland” online exhibition illustrates how the work of the police and their professional skills have evolved since Finland became independent. The online exhibition “From Breeches to Coveralls” presents the history of police uniforms.

You can also visit the Police Museum's YouTube channel for videos about the museum's exhibitions and the history of the police. Some of the YouTube videos have subtitles in English.

We look forward to welcoming you back to the Police Museum after the Christmas break! Admission is free, and the museum has something for the whole family to see and experience.

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164 police fatalities, statistics and moving stories – the online exhibition “In Memoriam” has been launched

Thu, 04 Dec 2025 08:00:00 GMT

The first three decades of Finland’s independence, from 1918 to 1949, were the most dangerous period for the police. Almost three quarters of all police fatalities occurred then. The underlying factors were instability, an exceptionally large crime wave during the prohibition era, and little or no training for police officers. People had many different types of weapons at home, and handguns were relatively easy to obtain. In addition, bladed weapons could be carried in public on a belt until well into the 1940s.

“For a long time, police officers considered violence against them to be part of their job, and this perception persists to some extent. The job carries risks, and the police do not shy away from them. Although the statistics indicate that the 21st century is the safest period in terms of police fatalities, violent resistance to officers has increased,” says Maritta Jokiniemi, Curator at the Police Museum.

The “In Memoriam” online exhibition includes a database of 164 police fatalities. In this exhibition, “police fatality” refers to the death of a police officer or a person working in the police, whether they were on duty or off duty, and where the fatality is connected to the person's profession. In this case, the death was caused by violence or a life-threatening situation, such as an accident or an extraordinary period, such as war.

“The criteria for what constitutes a police fatality have varied over time. The “In Memoriam” online exhibition includes not only violent deaths, but also road accidents involving police fatalities, accidents during training exercises, and situations where police officers have intervened in crimes while off duty," explains Maritta Jokiniemi.

Statistics and touching reports

The database is based on open, public sources, such as articles from newspapers and police trade journals.

“The data on the oldest police fatalities in Finland is fragmented. Unfortunately, some cases now exist only as memories handed down within families, while others have been lost to the passage of time. This is why the information found by genealogists and historians is so valuable to us researchers.

The “In Memoriam” online exhibition provides, among other things, the following information about police fatalities:

How it happened: 56% of police fatalities were committed with a firearm, 14% with a bladed weapon, 7% occurred in traffic, and 4% were the outcome of assault. 19% of the cases were connected to military operations.
Categories of personnel killed in police fatalities: Of those killed, 85% were uniformed police officers in the field, 10% were detectives or criminal investigators, and 5% were other police administration employees.
Sex: All of those who died were men.
Regions: Statistically, police work has been most dangerous in large cities, but violence has also occurred in rural areas. Isolated incidents, such as the police murders in Pihtipudas in 1969, significantly increase the figures for specific localities.
The most dangerous missions: Apprehending a person or preventing an escape, disturbances in public places, and call-outs to people’s homes.
Violence led to the deaths of 73% of the police officers killed in the line of duty. The proportion of violent deaths was particularly high in the 1920s, 1930s and 1950s.
Traffic incidents in which a police officer has been run over and killed have often been treated by the courts on lesser charges, such as grossly negligent homicide and/or causing a traffic hazard.
In the 21st century, 2 police officers have died in the line of duty as a result of violence, 1 police officer has died in a road accident while off duty, and 1 guard working at a police department has died as a result of an accident.

Alongside the statistics and database, the online exhibition provides for example insights into how the work community has come to terms with police fatalities in different periods and how some cases have led to improvements in occupational safety in the police.

“A police fatality is a huge tragedy for the police community, for those close to the police, and for society as a whole. The topic of this online exhibition is an important and painful reminder that missions have not always ended well. The exhibition includes touching stories and shocking recollections of near misses and injuries. I am sure we all share in the heartfelt hope that this memorial database will not need any new entries in the future.”

The English version of the online exhibition will be released later in December 2025.

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Collection services of the Police Museum on a break from January to August 2026

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 09:00:00 GMT

“Our collection includes approximately 24,000 objects, 142,000 photographs, 2,500 books as well as 4,000 films or multimedia presentations. During the break in the collection services, we will concentrate on organizing the existing collections,” says Lauri Haavisto, Intendant of the museum.

“During the break, it will not be possible to donate objects to us and we do not offer collection services. Please also be prepared for the fact that in January to August 2026, the information and image services of the museum will only operate to a limited extent.”

The Police Museum lends its items to other professionally maintained museums for exhibition purposes. Please make an arrangement on item loans during the break in collection services during November 2025.

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Changes to the parking arrangements at the Police Museum

Mon, 29 Sep 2025 07:00:00 GMT

There will be changes to the arrangements at the parking area in front of the Police Museum as of October 1, 2025. The first two rows in the parking area, as seen from the direction of the museum, are reserved for the vehicles of museum visitors. In these parking spaces, you will need a parking permit, which you can collect from the reception point of the museum. Place the parking permit in a visible location on the inside of the windshield of the vehicle so that the parking permit is clearly legible from the outside. The permit is valid for two hours. Indicate the starting time of parking on the inside of the windscreen of the vehicle with a parking disc or some other method.

If the parking spaces reserved for museum visitors are full, you can use the parking spaces in the same parking area on the Vaajakatu side. The parking spaces here have a four-hour time limit. Make sure to indicate the parking time with a parking disc or some other method. You do not need a museum parking permit in these parking spaces.

There are eight-hour parking spaces reserved for visitors of the Police University College in the same parking area. These cannot be used by museum visitors.

There are separate parking spaces for the coaches of visitor groups in front of the Police Museum. A parking permit or a parking disc is not required in the coach parking spaces.

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Exhibition “Art Crime Cases” responds to the wishes of the general public

Thu, 25 Sep 2025 07:00:00 GMT

In 2021 to 2023, the Police Museum hosted the exhibition titled “The Coloured Truth”, which concentrated on art crimes. At that time, this special exhibition enjoyed more than 90,000 museum visitors, but based on inquiries received by the Police Museum, many people interested in the topic did not have the chance to see the exhibition back then.

“We are now responding to the wishes of museum visitors by offering a new opportunity to get to know this interesting topic. The exhibition titled “Art Crime Cases” presents the pre-trial investigation of art crimes through criminal cases that have taken place in Finland. We also show what art fraudsters have done and how ordinary people have fallen victim to criminals,” says Curator Juha Vitikainen.

“We are displaying counterfeit copies of works of art, included in the collections of the Police Museum. The forgeries have been made of works of art by renowned artists such as Reidar Särestöniemi, Helene Schjerfbeck and Pablo Picasso. Moreover, museum visitors will be able to see examples of how criminals have attempted to convince buyers of the authenticity of the works by falsifying evidence of the origin of the works and their previous owners. In other words, the new exhibition discusses the same themes as the earlier exhibition titled “The Coloured Truth”, but in a smaller exhibition room.”

Welcome to the exhibition on October 1

The exhibition “Art Crime Cases” will open to the public on Wednesday 1, 2025. From 12 noon to 2 p.m. Curator Juha Vitikainen will be present to talk about the exhibition and its construction. The presentation will be in Finnish, but questions can also be asked in English.

The themes of the exhibition will also be discussed on Wednesday October 15 in the lecture series Police Officer of the Year. Kimmo Nokkonen, who was chosen as the Police Officer of the Year in 2004, talks then about art crime cases, among other things. The lecture series is in Finnish.

“Furthermore, next year we will try something completely new when the Police Museum goes on a roadshow: there will be a touring exhibition related to art forgeries. We will provide further information on this later,” Juha Vitikainen says.

To the page Temporary exhibitions

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Interesting events at the Police Museum on Police Day, August 30

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 12:45:00 GMT

Welcome to Hervanta in Tampere on Saturday, August 30 from 12 noon to 5 p.m. to talk with police officers and police students. Come and see, for example, a police motorcycle and ATV, various vehicles, the bicycle police, as well as police drone activities. Police horses will be there as well! During the day, you can watch a police dog demonstration and get to play with the gaming police. In addition, several free guided tours will be provided at the museum of the special exhibition Marias and Mörkös – Police Vehicles On and Off the Road (guided tours in Finnish).

You can find a detailed program for the day at poliisimuseo.fi/en/events. Information about Police Day events taking place elsewhere in Finland can be found at poliisi.fi/en/policeday.

The event in Hervanta, Tampere is organized by the Police Museum, Police University College and Central Finland Police Department.

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Items from the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service added to the collections of Police Museum

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 09:39:00 GMT

The Finnish Security and Intelligence Service and the Police University College, which administers the Police Museum, have signed an agreement on the preservation of the historical artefacts of the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service in the museum collections. At the same time, an agreement was concluded on other cooperation in recording the history of the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service.

“The Finnish Security and Intelligence Service has a very interesting history, and it has played a key role in terms of the functioning of the Finnish state. It is essential that the preservation of the historically significant materials of the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service and its predecessors is ensured,” says Lauri Haavisto, Intendant of the Police Museum.

The collections of the Police Museum have already included some of Supo’s items, such as microfilming equipment and cameras. In 2011 to 2012, the museum hosted a special exhibition entitled From Okhrana to Supo, where museum visitors could get acquainted with issues such as an armored car of the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service and see the type of cell where the persons suspected of treason were held during the war years.

“The new agreement with the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service will not immediately bring new objects to the display cases of the museum for visitors to marvel at, but in the future we will certainly also display material from Supo and tell stories related to the objects. The Police Museum collections currently encompass approximately 24,000 objects and 141,000 photographs, so not all material is available to the museum visitors at once.”

The Finnish Security and Intelligence Service was previously part of the rest of the police administration, but in 2016 it was transferred under the Ministry of the Interior. Due to the transfer, the Police Museum was no longer responsible for recording the history of the Finnish Security and Intelligence Service, until it was now agreed otherwise.

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Armored vehicle from the 1930s this summer’s attraction at the Police Museum

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 10:28:00 GMT

Located in the Tampere district of Hervanta, the Police Museum is open to everyone free of charge. Our exhibitions showcase the history and activities of the Finnish police force from medieval times to the present day.

This summer will see the Sisu armored vehicle, which was commissioned by the police in 1937, parked in the courtyard of the Police Museum in conjunction with the special exhibition "Marias and Mörkös – Police Vehicles On and Off the Road”.

“To be more precise, it’s the body of an armored vehicle on loan to us from the Parola Armour Museum. The body is made of 8–11 mm armor plate, and in its day the vehicle was equipped with a heavy machine gun and two light machine guns. It was powered by a 79 hp diesel engine and had a top speed of 40 km/h,” explains Intendant Lauri Haavisto at the Police Museum.

The vehicle served the police until 1951, when it was handed over to the Finnish Defence Forces. Nowadays, the car is part of the collections of the Military Museum, and except for this summer, it is on display in the exhibition of the Parola Armour Museum.

The armored vehicle is on display at the Police Museum from June 3 – September 6, 2025 and can be admired through the windows from inside the museum, where visitors can also watch a 1930s film of the Sisu armored vehicle.

Sisu armored vehicle in the 1930s. Photo the Police Museum

Exhibits and experiences for the whole family

There are two exhibitions at the Police Museum: the permanent exhibition Police is Here!, which uses crime and accident cases from different eras to provide information on how police work has changed through the years, and the special exhibition Marias and Mörkös, which features a diverse display of police vehicles: cars, motorcycles, scooters, snow scooters and all-terrain vehicles.

“The Police Museum features exhibits and experiences for the whole family. You can, for example, sit in a police van and take a picture of yourself in the suspect registration chair. In the special children’s section, young museum visitors can wear police overalls.”

All exhibition texts at the Police Museum are in English, Finnish and Swedish.

During the summer, free public guided tours, in Finnish, are also available for museum visitors. You can find more information about Finnish guided tours on our Finnish web pages.

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Welcome to the Police Museum during the winter holiday

Mon, 17 Feb 2025 11:06:00 GMT

The Police Museum in Hervanta, Tampere, is open to all, free of charge. We present the history and activities of the Finnish police from the Middle Ages to the present day.

The texts of all Police Museum exhibitions are available in Finnish, Swedish and English.

During the Tampere region winter holiday week, we will also offer special program.

– Do you have any questions for the police? On Wednesday, 26 February and Thursday, 27 February, you will have the opportunity to meet a police officer and police students in person for a chat. They tell about the work and studies of the police and answer museum visitors' questions about police work.

Free guided tours in Finnish are also available during the winter holiday week. You can find information about them on the Finnish event page.

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Record number of visitors to the Police Museum again: about 42,600 visitors acquainted themselves with the museum in 2024

Tue, 07 Jan 2025 09:58:00 GMT

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.”

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Christmas break at the Police Museum 16 December – 10 January

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 08:00:00 GMT

You can take a virtual tour of the Police Museum on your own computer or smartphone. On the virtual tour, you can look into various exhibition rooms and view interesting videos and exhibits that shed light on the history of the police.

At present, the museum offers three online exhibitions. The online exhibition “Crime and Love” highlights the changes in the attitudes of the police towards sexual minorities over time. The online exhibition “The police of independent Finland” describes the development of police work and professional skills during Finland’s national independence. The online exhibition “From Breeches to Coveralls” presents the history of Finnish police uniforms.

The Police Museum’s YouTube channel features videos related to the exhibitions and history of the police. Some of the YouTube videos have subtitles in English.

Welcome to visit the Police Museum on site after the Christmas break! Entry is free and the museum offers plenty to see and experience for the whole family.

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Free guided tour in English on 29 October

Mon, 23 Sep 2024 13:02:00 GMT

Welcome to join a guided tour of the exhibitions at the Police Museum! During the guided tour, you will get acquainted with "The Police is Here!" exhibition and hear about the history of the Finnish police from the Middle Ages to the present day. In addition, the guided tour covers the Marias and Mörkös exhibition, which provides information about the history and current situation of Finnish police vehicles.

The English-language tour starts at 5:30 p.m. and lasts about one hour. The guided tour is intended for adults and 25 people can participate.

On evening tour days, the museum is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. In addition to the evening tour in English on 29 October, evening tours will also be arranged this autumn on 1 October and 19 November 2024 (in Finnish).

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Interesting events at the Police Museum on Police Day, 10 August

Thu, 27 Jun 2024 07:35:00 GMT

Welcome to Hervanta in Tampere on Saturday, 10 August from 12 noon to 5 p.m., to talk with police officers and police students and get acquainted with a wide range of equipment. The Police Museum and the parking area in front will be filled with police vehicles and demonstration points. During the day, you can watch a police dog demonstration and gaming police stream, for example. Police horses will be on site as well! In addition, several free guided tours will be provided at the museum of the exhibition “Marias and Mörkös (guided tours in Finnish).

There will be lots of fun activities for the whole family – make sure to save the date in your calendar now. The exact program of the day and information about the demonstration and exhibition points will be published closer to the event at poliisimuseo.fi/en/events. Information about Police Day events elsewhere in Finland can be found online at poliisi.fi/en/policeday.

The event in Hervanta, Tampere is organized by the Police Museum, Police University College and Central Finland Police Department.

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Parking spaces at the Police Museum out of use for part of July

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 07:56:00 GMT

When the entrance road from Vaajakatu is closed, the museum can only be accessed via the pedestrian and bicycle way by Hervannan valtaväylä. There are parking spaces along Vaajakatu and in the parking garage of the nearby shopping centre, for example.

We are sorry for the inconvenience.

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The Police Museum celebrates 20th anniversary

Wed, 15 May 2024 06:00:00 GMT

During the Police Museum's 20-year history, more than 380,000 visitors have visited the museum and the museum has organized twenty different exhibitions both on the museum premises and online.

"The very first exhibition, FINPOL05, was on display in the Vapriikki Museum Centre, because the Police Museum did not have its own facilities yet. In 2008, we got our own facilities, designed and built solely for us, and in the autumn that year we opened our doors to the public in Hervanta," says the current Museum Director, Intendant Lauri Haavisto.

"Over the years, the Police Museum has showcased the history of the Finnish police force both in two permanent exhibitions and in various temporary exhibitions. The themes of these special exhibitions have included forged artwork, police education, police dog operations, police's use of force and the Finnish Security Intelligence Service.

The latest special exhibition, “Marias and Mörkös – Police Vehicles On and Off the Road" opened at the end of April 2024. The exhibition presents a diverse display of police vehicles: cars, motorcycles, scooters, snow scooters and all-terrain vehicles.

Exhibitions, collections, education and tradition

The Police Museum is a free museum for the whole family, with things to see and experience for people of all ages.

"The most apparent part of our operations is, of course, our exhibitions, which are open to all. In addition to exhibitions, our work also covers many areas that are not as visible to museum visitors. We store objects, pictures, films and other materials related to the history of the police. Not all objects in our collection are ever put on display in the exhibitions,” Lauri Haavisto points out.

"In addition, our curators are involved in the instruction of police students, offering them an insight to the history of the police force and its influence on present-day policing. The Police Museum’s tasks also include coordinating the activities of the Finnish police in the areas of history and traditions, including meetings with police departments' museum contact persons.

Today, the Police Museum is also responsible for the activities of the Crime Museum. The Crime Museum's exhibition is located in the facilities of the National Bureau of Investigation in Vantaa, but is not open to the general public. Some objects from the collections of the Crime Museum are exhibited at the Police Museum.

The Police Museum received recognition for high-quality operations as the museum received the Museum of the Year 2022 award granted by the Finnish Museums Association and ICOM (International Council of Museums) Finland. In its criteria for the award, the award jury stated that the concept of the Police Museum is an overall success and that the museum operation show consistent quality and a highly professional approach.

The anniversary celebrated on social media and at events

The museum celebrates its 20th anniversary in various ways. The anniversary year will be visible to the general public on social media and at events.

"On social media, we highlight glimpses from the past 20 years: memories, past exhibitions and information about the development of collections and the entire museum. During the anniversary year, we will organize a variety of events that anyone may attend. For example, there will be free guided tours throughout the year. On Police Day, Saturday 10 August, the museum will offer various activities and a special program", Lauri Haavisto promises.

The anniversary year will culminate in a seminar for invited guests in the autumn, where we look back on the past but also reflect on the future.

"The museum never stands still, as we are always planning something new and how we can continue to offer our visitors a great museum experience!"

The Police Museum now

The Police Museum is part of the Police University College.
The museum is located in Hervanta district, about eight kilometers from central Tampere.
In 2023, the museum attracted around 42,000 visitors.
More than 90% of museum visitors are satisfied with their visit, according to the HappyOrNot customer feedback tool.
The collections include around 24,000 objects, 141,000 photographs, 3,900 films or multimedia presentations, and 3,000 books.

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Great sets of wheels at the Police Museum – new special exhibition presents police vehicles

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 07:25:00 GMT

The police move on land, in water and in the air – in little streets in cities, on the roads, in the fells and in waterways. In the Police Museum’s new special exhibition, “Marias and Mörkös – Police Vehicles On and Off the Road”, visitors can see police cars, motorcycles, scooters, snow scooters and all-terrain vehicles.

“For example, our exhibition includes the Saab 99 car, familiar for many, but also more rarely seen police vehicles, such as the world’s fastest police motorcycle, Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX. The oldest vehicle on display at the exhibition is a 1962 model Renault Goélette that was formerly used by Tampere police and that eventually ended up in TV2 children’s program ‘Pelle Hermanni’,” says Police Museum Curator Juha Vitikainen.

“The patrol van ‘Maria’, mentioned in the name of the special exhibition, will also be on display, and museum visitors can take a seat in it. The other vehicle mentioned in the name of the exhibition, ‘Mörkö’, is not on site in the museum, but we present it in words and pictures. ‘Mörkö’ is the nickname for crowd control police forces’ dark personnel carrier van with protective covering.”

Police fleet and traffic safety

The Finnish Police received the first cars already in the early 1900s, but it was not until the 1960s that cars became so common that by the end of the decade, each police district had at least one police car. However, some police officers could still use their own car, or even a taxi to carry out official duties.

Motoring citizens kept the police busy, and the number of traffic accidents was high.

“In the 1960s, the police had their hands full with shepherding of speeding citizens, as many appreciated an efficient engine more than traffic safety. With the help of general collections and car donations, the police managed to obtain more vehicles and thus make traffic control more efficient. Of course, legislative measures were necessary as well, including speed limits and compulsory use of seat belts, in order to improve road safety,” says Police Museum Curator Maritta Jokiniemi.

These days, police patrol cars are like offices on wheels, equipped with computers, network connections, radars and camera equipment.

“The cars also have a system developed in Finland, through which police patrols receive notification from a Revika device, that reads license plates, if the oncoming car has not been inspected, the vehicle tax or insurance has not been paid or the vehicle is being searched,” says Jokiniemi.

History and present day

At the Police Museum’s “Marias and Mörkös” exhibition, museum visitors get information both of the history and current situation of police vehicles. These days, police fleet includes armored vehicles, cars equipped for crime scene investigation, snow scooters, personal watercraft and unmanned aerial vehicles.

“In the exhibition, we also inform about driver training of the police and its development. At all times, not only a vehicle suitable for the work assignment, but also a professional driver behind the wheel is needed,” remind Jokiniemi and Vitikainen.

The Police Museum in Tampere is open to all, free of charge. The Marias and Mörkös special exhibition is suitable for museum visitors of all ages.

“Welcome to admire great sets of wheels and explore the interesting history of police vehicles. In our children’s section, there is a wide range of activities for the youngest members of the family: for example, children can wear police overalls and put themselves in a police officer’s boots in various policing assignments.”

The texts of all Police Museum exhibitions are available in Finnish, Swedish and English.

The “Marias and Mörkös” exhibition is open from 26 April 2024 to 4 December 2027.

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Police Museum open for one hour more on weekdays from 30 April onwards

Thu, 18 Apr 2024 06:39:00 GMT

“In previous years, the Police Museum has been open for longer than usual on weekdays during the summer season, but now the weekday opening hours will be prolonged by one hour on a permanent basis. Museum visitors can explore the exhibitions from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and on Saturdays from 12 noon to 5 p.m. The museum is closed for the general public on Mondays and Sundays,” says Intendant, Museum Director Lauri Haavisto.

The new special exhibition, “Marias and Mörkös – Police Vehicles On and Off the Road”, opens on Friday, 26 April 2024. In addition, the permanent exhibition that describes the history of the police in Finland from the Middle Ages to the present day, is on display.

“The Police Museum is suitable for the whole family, and the museum visit is free of charge. Museum visitors can, for example, sit in a police van and take a picture of themselves in the suspect registration chair. In the special children’s section Pokela, young museum visitors can wear police overalls.”

The texts in the Police Museum exhibitions are available in Finnish, Swedish and English.

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Special exhibition built during the spring

Fri, 15 Mar 2024 08:28:00 GMT

The Police Museum’s next special exhibition, “Marias and Mörkös – Police Vehicles On and Off the Road”, will take over the temporary exhibition space during this spring. Several old police cars have already been brought in, and various structures are ready and waiting for the police motorcycles and a police scooter that will be placed on display.

“The new exhibition is not visible for museum visitors, except in that entry to the temporary exhibition space is closed for the public with temporary partitions. Our permanent exhibition, The Police is Here! and the children’s section are open,” says Curator Maritta Jokiniemi.

“During the opening week of the new exhibition, the Police Museum is closed from Monday to Thursday, 22 to 25 April, so that we can put the finishing touches to the space safely. We wish everyone welcome to explore the new exhibition from Friday, 26 April onwards!

Police Museum opening hours and exceptional opening hours: poliisimuseo.fi/en/opening-hours

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