In BSR Policy Briefing 5/2026 Police Lawyer Markus Laine examines Finland’s proposed new legislation on police criminal intelligence and asks how it would affect both crime prevention and national security.
According to Laine, the proposed Criminal Intelligence Act reflects a significant transformation in Finland’s security environment. Organised crime has become more international and violent, while hybrid threats have increasingly blurred the distinction between internal and external security. Sabotage, information operations and other hostile activities can be carried out through criminal actors or in ways that appear to be ordinary criminal activity. The proposal would give the police limited, threat-based intelligence powers that could be used before a concrete criminal suspicion exists. Laine argues that it could also strengthen Finland’s national security.
”The Baltic Sea Region is particularly important in this respect as disruptions to maritime transport or critical infrastructure could have serious consequences for Finland’s security of supply and the functioning of society.
Markus LaineBSR Policy Briefing 5/2026
Tension between security and fundamental rights
Police criminal intelligence would fill part of the space between traditional criminal investigation and civilian or military intelligence, Laine states. Overlapping powers between authorities can be useful when responsibility for a developing threat is unclear, helping to prevent gaps in information collection and response.
The expansion of police intelligence powers has also raised significant concerns about fundamental rights and the rule of law. Critics have questioned the need for broader covert information gathering and the collection of personal data. Legal organisations have called for greater precision in defining the targets of intelligence, stronger safeguards and comprehensive independent oversight. There is also a broader question of whether all the identified gaps necessarily require new intelligence powers.
The legislation is politically and constitutionally challenging
The legislation is nevertheless politically and constitutionally challenging. Some of the proposed powers would require amendments to the Constitution of Finland because they would affect the protection of privacy and confidential communications. In the report Laine concludes that stronger police intelligence capabilities are justified by the changing security environment, but stresses that the legitimacy of such powers depends on credible and comprehensive oversight.
