4 ms·

It's interesting that so close to the heart of European Union, the police and judicial authorities needs special permits to enter through the area of neighbouri

It's interesting that so close to the heart of European Union, the police and judicial authorities needs special permits to enter through the area of neighbouring country, even if they won't do any official business there, they just pass through. Anybody else can move about freely, no questions asked. Between Finland and Sweden, the police forces on both sides of the border have an agreement so that they can move about, even in official business. A pursuit of a criminal can be extended across border, and e.g. ambulances are shared. The crew is bilingual or works in Finnish (the population in the border area is traditionally mostly Finnish-speaking even in the Swedish side). The countries each have a nation-wide public safety digital radio network (TETRA) and while the networks are strictly distinct, the police cars or ambulances in each country may have a radio unit from the neighbour so that they can connect to the neighbour network when they need to, or their radios can be roamed to the neighbour network through ISI interface.

Someone 10y ago
"A pursuit of a criminal can be extended across border, and e.g. ambulances are shared" The examples you mention all involve cases where one cannot reasonably wait for permission to pass. Those are handled similar between Belgium and the Netherlands and, I guess/think (there may be exceptions for cases like Switzerland and Norway, who are in the Schengen area but not in the EU), everywhere in the Schengen area. This case was different, though; the victim was clearly dead, so there wasn't much of an urgency. If there is no urgent need, would Sweden allow armed Finnish police officers to enter the country or vice versa? What if it were a few heavily armed SWAT teams in armed personnel carriers?
- ptaipale 10y ago
  The police in the border region in both countries is currently being trained for patrolling in the other country (there are some differences in legislation and operational procedures). So not just pass-through but actual law enforcement work. After WW II, when Finnish Lapland's roads were largely destroyed by retreating Germans, Finns used the roads on the Swedish side of the river to get up north. Today it is perhaps the other way round; the Finnish side has more population and the roads up river are bigger so it might be feasible for the Swedish to use Finnish roads even if the destination is again across river on Swedish side. SWAT teams no, not without urgent need and/or official request, and people would rise eyebrows also for SWAT teams driving around in their own country for no reason.
- ptaipale 10y ago
  BTW, also between Finland and Norway people are mostly cool about neighbouring country's police crossing over. http://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/armed_norwegian_police_cross_into_finland/7380515 http://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/armed_norwegian_police_cro... The Putin troll column of course tried to make out a "NATO occupying force" thing out of it but then again, that's empty barrels making noise.

Someone 10y ago

"A pursuit of a criminal can be extended across border, and e.g. ambulances are shared" The examples you mention all involve cases where one cannot reasonably wait for permission to pass. Those are handled similar between Belgium and the Netherlands and, I guess/think (there may be exceptions for cases like Switzerland and Norway, who are in the Schengen area but not in the EU), everywhere in the Schengen area. This case was different, though; the victim was clearly dead, so there wasn't much of an urgency. If there is no urgent need, would Sweden allow armed Finnish police officers to enter the country or vice versa? What if it were a few heavily armed SWAT teams in armed personnel carriers?

ptaipale 10y ago
The police in the border region in both countries is currently being trained for patrolling in the other country (there are some differences in legislation and operational procedures). So not just pass-through but actual law enforcement work. After WW II, when Finnish Lapland's roads were largely destroyed by retreating Germans, Finns used the roads on the Swedish side of the river to get up north. Today it is perhaps the other way round; the Finnish side has more population and the roads up river are bigger so it might be feasible for the Swedish to use Finnish roads even if the destination is again across river on Swedish side. SWAT teams no, not without urgent need and/or official request, and people would rise eyebrows also for SWAT teams driving around in their own country for no reason.
ptaipale 10y ago
BTW, also between Finland and Norway people are mostly cool about neighbouring country's police crossing over. http://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/armed_norwegian_police_cross_into_finland/7380515 http://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/armed_norwegian_police_cro... The Putin troll column of course tried to make out a "NATO occupying force" thing out of it but then again, that's empty barrels making noise.