Finland’s largest court overwhelmed by petty theft cases

Finland’s largest court, the Helsinki District Court, is struggling under a surge of minor shoplifting cases, with judges now routinely handling thefts worth just a few euros, Yle reports.

The court’s chief judge, laamanni Sirpa Pakkala, says the increase has been sharp and clearly visible. Cases involving items such as a 50-cent water bottle or a 1.29-euro instant coffee have been brought before the court, and thefts of under or just over ten euros are now common.

“The growth is clear and it has been enormous,” Pakkala said.

Yle reported a year ago that Helsinki police had begun investigating minor shoplifting cases that had previously often been dropped due to their trivial nature. Critics at the time alleged that police were doing so to improve their property crime statistics. That shift in police practice is now filtering through to the courts, as prosecutors have been bringing more minor property cases to trial.

Small property crime cases are handled by a fast-track unit at the Helsinki District Court. Judges and court clerks have been transferred from other departments to meet demand, but this has not been sufficient. Minor shoplifting cases have also had to be moved to other departments that normally handle serious and complex criminal matters.

The Helsinki District Court handles some of Finland’s largest and most demanding criminal cases, and it is already heavily congested. Victims and defendants in serious cases often wait more than a year after charges are filed before proceedings begin.

Pakkala described the procedural requirements for even the smallest cases as equivalent to those for serious crimes. “In principle, the procedure is the same as in, for example, a homicide case,” she said.

One example that reached the court involved a man who placed a chocolate bar in his pocket at an Alepa supermarket in Helsinki’s Kamppi district last November. When stopped after the checkouts, a few additional food items were also found in his bag. The total value of the goods was around ten euros. The man returned the items in saleable condition. After a police investigation and prosecution, the Helsinki District Court convicted him in February this year of petty theft and sentenced him to ten day-fines, amounting to 70 euros based on his income.

A legislative change due to take effect at the start of June will ease the burden slightly. Under the new rules, a criminal case can be handled through a written procedure if the defendant consented to this during the preliminary investigation and has confessed to the offence. Currently, courts are required to seek the defendant’s consent again before proceeding. The maximum sentence available under the written procedure will also increase from nine months to one year in prison.

However, the change will not reduce the number of shoplifting cases reaching the court. Judges will continue to process minor theft cases while victims of rape and assault wait up to a year for their cases to be heard.

Pakkala said she understands that even a small theft matters to the shopkeeper as the injured party, but that the situation is nonetheless frustrating. “This undeniably feels frustrating. We receive a very large number of minor property crimes, and it ties up staff,” she said.