Helsinki court overwhelmed by petty theft cases, analysis says

Finland’s largest court, the Helsinki district court, has become so overwhelmed with minor theft cases that judges are spending entire days handling charges over chocolate bars and water bottles, Yle reported in an analysis on Wednesday.

The surge in petty theft cases has forced the court to transfer judges and clerks from other departments to a fast-track unit. The measure has not been sufficient, and some minor theft cases have been moved to departments that normally handle serious criminal charges, the analysis said.

Victims of more serious crimes now wait months or even over a year for their trials to begin while judges adjudicate minor shoplifting cases, according to the report. Court director Sirpa Pakkala described the situation as frustrating.

The problem stems from a change in police policy about a year ago, when Helsinki police began investigating petty thefts that previously would have been dropped due to their insignificance, the analysis noted. At the time, sources told Yle that the police aimed to improve property crime statistics.

Prosecutors tried to temper the police’s enthusiasm, with deputy head Tero Kekki of the Southern Finland prosecution district suggesting that police should make greater use of their authority to limit preliminary investigations. Police responded with an unusual press release, co-signed by Kekki, stating that Yle’s reporting had given a partly incorrect picture of police operations and prosecutor cooperation.

Despite the dispute, police have continued to pursue minor theft cases, and prosecutors have brought them to court, the analysis said. It noted that police have long complained about resource shortages, while the law allows them to drop investigations on grounds of insignificance, freeing up resources for more serious matters.

“That is not how it works when police investigate and prosecutors bring to court a theft charge for a 50-cent bottle of water,” the analysis concluded.