Police shootings in Lapland rare as officers fired only three shots last year

Police use of firearms in Finland’s northernmost region is extremely uncommon, according to Lapland Police, with only three shots fired in 2023—some of which may have been warning shots.

Lapland Police Chief Superintendent Mika Lauri confirmed that annual figures typically range from zero to four shots since 2020. On Thursday, officers in Tornio fired at a man who had allegedly shot at police multiple times, though no injuries were reported. A bullet from the suspect struck a police vehicle.

Nationwide, Finnish police discharge their weapons in the line of duty around 20–30 times per year, including warning shots, a figure that has remained stable for years, the National Police Board stated. Officers carry pistols, rifles, or submachine guns as standard equipment.

Finland’s low rate of police shootings is exceptional even by international standards, with only 14 fatal incidents recorded since 2000. Last year saw two such cases: in September, an officer fatally shot a man wielding a bladed weapon in Espoo, and in July, another suspect armed with a knife was shot in Helsinki after a stun gun failed to stop him.

Lapland Police report no known injuries or deaths from their use of firearms in recent memory. “We have no recollection of anyone being harmed as a result of our force measures,” Lauri said.

Incidents where police threaten firearm use have risen, partly due to an increase in encounters with individuals carrying knives, guns, or realistic replicas. Some suspects, particularly those under the influence of synthetic drugs like alpha-PVP, may exhibit resistance to less-lethal force. It remains unclear whether substances played a role in Thursday’s Tornio incident.

Violent resistance against officers has surged by roughly 25% between 2014 and 2024, per National Police Board data. While stun guns are deployed around 500 times annually nationwide, Lapland officers do not carry them routinely; service weapons are always on hand.