Thu, 06 Jun, 2013 12:00:53 AM

FTimes-STT Report, June 06

Police stand next to a police car. Photo - Lehtikuva. Parliament on Wednesday passed a bill abolishing the traffic wing of the police in a major reform approach apparently aiming at saving cost and streamlining resources amid resistance from both treasury and opposition members.

The government says bringing to an end to the National Traffic Police would not affect monitoring transports at roads and highways while the opposition argued continuation of the wing to make their contribution to road safety in Finland in line with the European Union’s target of bringing down the road deaths by 50 per cent by 2020.

Six lawmakers from Kokoomus (National Coalition Party) and Suomen Sosialidemokraattinen (Social Democratic Party-SDP) of the ruling alliance opposed the new provision of merging traffic police and to the local one.

The bill was passed by 94 to 75 votes in the House.

Although, four police representatives from the Kokoomus in parliament opposed the bill, only Pertti Hemmilä of them cast vote against the bill. The rest others abstained from casting votes.

The Interior Minister, Päivi Räsänen, assured the House that the reforms brought in the police department through the new law would not affect the traffic monitoring system.

Earlier, on April 17, Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen speaking at a programme marking the 90th founding anniversary of the police union said the government was planning to bring reforms in the police administration to face the challenges in future.

‘If the necessary reforms are not brought in the police administration, the service level cannot be maintained properly in the future,’ Katainen said.

Some lawmakers of the ruling parties confuted the necessity of bringing reforms in the police.

Police MP Kari Tolvanen told the programme that the government decision of abolishing the traffic police was a mistake and proposed that the traffic police could work with the police in building up coordination with the locals.

Police union director Yrjö Suhonen also said at the same programme that the reforms would need some more time.