Page 12 - The police annual report 2016 annual report 2016

The overall narcotics crime rate rose by four per cent on the previous year.
In Finland, the majority of homicides are related to alcohol use between middle-aged men who are outside working life. In 2010– 2015, in a total of 62 per cent of homicides between adults all parties were intoxicated at the time of the crime, and in 80 per cent of the homicides, at least one of the parties was intoxicated.
The most common homicide victims were men killed by an acquaintance or a friend (46%). The next most common victims were women killed by their relationship partners (16%) and men killed by persons previously unknown to the victims (10%).
In 2003–2013, 57 per cent of men guilty of homicide had been sentenced in a court for
a homicide or an assault at least once during the ten years prior to the crime, and 28 per cent had been serving a custodial sentence during the ve years prior to the crime. Addi- tionally, 36 per cent had been incarcerated
at least once during their life prior to the crime.
The level of homicide in Finland is currently the eighth highest in the European Union, and above average also when taking all European countries into consideration. The high level of crime is largely explained by the exceptionally high level of crime of middle-aged, unem- ployed, male alcoholics.
Violence leading to death involves clear char- acteristics related to marginalisation and drift-
ing outside society – in this regard, preventive measures involve very long-term work.
NUMBER OF FINANCIAL CRIME CASES CONTINUES TO RISE
The number of nancial crime cases report- ed to the police has continued to increase. Last year, a record number of new nancial crime cases were led, showing an increase of around 13 per cent from the previous year. The large number of new criminal cases led last year – 2,087 reports – is evident in the number of open cases under investigation. The investigations of a total of 1,915 criminal cases were closed.
At the end of 2016, the number of open criminal cases under investigation totalled
12 THE POLICE, ANNUAL REPORT 2016