How is police work on animal abuse/neglect cases organized in your country?
The organisation of investigations of crimes related to animal abuse and neglect is the responsibility of
the local police department as well as the National Police Board of Finland. Most animal offences are
investigated in so-called daily investigation procedure. Aggravated animal welfare offences may be
investigated by some police departments according to the so-called demanding investigation
procedure. The general requirement is that the more serious the offence, the more thorough the
investigation. In this respect, animal offences are no exception.
In 2018, the
Helsinki Police Department established an investigation team, the first in Finland, to
investigate crimes against animals
that occur on the territory of the police department. This
investigation team cooperates with the City of Helsinki's supervising veterinarians, the regional
veterinarians, the Food Administration and Customs. During the preliminary investigation, many police
departments consult experts who can assess, for example, the pain and harm caused to the animals.
However, there is some variation in these consultations between police departments.
Which investigation options are available for animal abuse/neglect cases in your
country?
Animal offences are defined in the Finnish Criminal Code and the pre-trial investigation of all offences is
defined in the Criminal Investigation Act. Pre-trial investigations are carried out for animal offences on
a case-by-case basis in accordance with the Criminal Investigation Act. There are no specific pre-trial
procedures for animal offences, although cooperation with relevant authorities, such as veterinarians,
is important in the investigation.
What is the average case processing time for cases regarding animal abuse/neglect in
your country?
The duration of an investigation depends on the individual case and the resources available for the
investigation; it is difficult to determine an average duration.
Does your country have a special prosecutor for animal abuse/neglect cases?
Finland has a system of special prosecutors and specialised regional prosecutors. Special prosecutors
act as prosecutors in particularly demanding criminal cases in their specialised field and in other
criminal cases assigned to them. A special prosecutor must have several areas of expertise, for example
2-4 in his/her own specialisation, which may include environmental, natural resources and animal
offences. Special prosecutors can provide expert support to all prosecutors on issues requiring specific
expertise.
What is the level of punishment for animal abuse/neglect in your country?
Animal welfare offence (Criminal
Code
(39/1889) Chapter 17 Section 14): a fine or up to 2 years
imprisonment
Aggravated animal welfare offence (Criminal Code (39/1889) Chapter 17 Section 14a): imprisonment
for a minimum of 4 months and a maximum of 4 years
Petty animal welfare offence (Criminal Code (39/1889) Chapter 17 Section 15): fine
Animal welfare infringement (Animal
Welfare Act
(1996/247) Chapter 6 Section 54): fine