The Police University College’s Annual Report 2024 has been completed. The publication contains information about the record number of students, the development of online teaching and diverse research activities, and much more.
In 2024, there was a record number of study places, 500 in total, for basic education of the police, that is, the Bachelor of Police Services degree. The goal stated in the Program of the Finnish Government, to increase the number of police officers in Finland, was the reason for increasing the number of study places by 100. The target for study places was achieved when a total of 503 new students were admitted.
“We selected the new students from a record number of applicants, as we received a total of 5,220 applications. The figures reflect the fact that we have systematically enhanced the efficiency of student recruitment. Last year, we reached more than 130,000 people at visits and various events,” says Pasi Kemppainen, Director of Education and Research at the Police University College.
In 2024, 268 people completed the Bachelor of Police Services degree and 26 people completed the Master of Police Services degree. 90% of Bachelor of Police Services students and all Master of Police Services students graduated within the target time.
The connection to working life constitutes the key basis for police studies.
“The education must produce experts who perform well in today’s police work. That is why we have just updated the curricula of the degree programs in order to ensure that police education meets the demands of working life and responds to changes in the operating environment. Experts from the Police University College participated extensively in the curriculum work, and we also received support from external parties, including the National Police Board and police departments.”
The number of participants in the online courses of continuing education doubled
One of the major themes of the Police University College in 2024 was to develop online studies and increase the offering.
“The historically large number of students has challenged us to consider how we can manage with the current facilities and teacher staff. We have increased the opportunities for online studies, but many subjects in vocational studies and operational exercises still require contact teaching,” says Pasi Kemppainen, Director of Education and Research.
The increase in online teaching has also facilitated growth in the number of participants in continuing education. Attendance in continuing education totalled almost 28,000 during the year. The number of participants increased by approximately 50% and the increase is due to the doubling of the number of participants in online courses from the previous year.
“It has been possible to participate in an increasing number of courses from one's own workplace from different parts of Finland. Our offering in continuing education is diverse: we organize courses, seminars and conferences for various experts in the police sector. For example, we train experts in cybercrime prevention, police dog handlers, motorcycle police and license administration experts. We also offer training for stakeholders, such as the staff of Customs and the Finnish Border Guard.”
Gaming police and other projects develop police operations
The Police University College’s research, development and innovation projects (RDI) emphasize the strategic objectives of the police and the connection to working life. In 2024, we produced information in several national and international projects that can be directly utilized in the operations of the police and their development.
“In 2024, there was, for example, a project related to gang crime, a project related to cybercrime prevention and the Gaming Police project, which develops new multi-professional activities. The purpose of gaming police operations is, among other things, to prevent and combat harmful activities and crime targeting children in the world of digital gaming,” says Pasi Kemppainen, Director of Education and Research.
Other themes in RDI activities included, for example, the status of economic crime investigation, hate crime, human trafficking offenses and combating of organized crime.
