Why are Finnish Police such Fascists?

[pres589]

We've been to plenty of places in the US and used our Australian drivers licences when hiring cars without any problems at all. We've also used our Finnish licences in the US to hire cars - also without problems. There have to be other foreigners hiring cars and buying things in the US without US identification? Besides, international car companies who operate in the US would have to have more than a clue about foreign identification, yes?

I didn't mean to say it can't be done or that using a passport is impossible here, what I meant was, things can be harder unexpectedly. I also don't exactly live in the most worldly part of the USA (and I can hear the snickering to that comment even as I write this). To put it another way, a US driver's license is seemingly standardized as a way of telling an authority figure like the guy behind the counter at a liquor store who you are.

[jas_rho]

I've seen people try to use their passport as ID's here in the middle of the USA; a few Finns that were denied an alcohol sale because of some nonsense, and then an American that had just made it off the plane from Europe that had yet to unpack and he got a lot of static, but his lack of a different accent got him a pass so he could buy a beer.

Apparently we take alcohol very seriously around here at times. In any case, a real driver's license is very preferable to trying to get around this part of the country vs. a passport.

We've been to plenty of places in the US and used our Australian drivers licences when hiring cars without any problems at all. We've also used our Finnish licences in the US to hire cars - also without problems. There have to be other foreigners hiring cars and buying things in the US without US identification? Besides, international car companies who operate in the US would have to have more than a clue about foreign identification, yes?

For me personally, I just prefer that since I am an american, I would rather use an american driver's license while driving around in the US. Of course it's legal and all that jazz to drive with a Finnish license, or Australian, etc. But there are more chances for those annoying times when some local doesn't understand that a foreign license is valid as well. That's my reasoning and that's why I plan to always use a US license while in the US.

I have now applied to my state's DMV to get a copy of my US license anyway, so the Finnish police can keep the one they took

[Emiliano]

Hello everybody.

Well, ok, I read by casual chance this post while searching other things (housing... and let's just leave here the problem about being a male, slightly hairy FOREIGNER and getting no place to stay! And maybe see the beautiful skinny locally born model girl getting the room, so smoothless!) ...Yeaaaah! Anyway.

I had some "problems" with the police, so... I would like to tell you my experience here.
This summer I was working as fillaritaxi driver, me being the only italian looking (and born, of course) driver in the company. And I was waiting for some drunken friday night customers to come, sitting on my bike at Tennispalatsi corner, parked next to the road. Few other colleagues were passing by, going somewhere else to find some rides to make.
Funny enough a drunk guy came (God bless him! a customer, woo hoo!) and while I was talking to him he told me to look behind me... I thought he was talking random but... he actually made sense! 'Cause there was a police van behind me

So, the police officers asked me where my lights were... I told them I was parking and not needing them... But he said he knew I wasn't using them when moving anyway... (arguable matter, but ok).
The real thing was that I had some lights on that taxi but, few days before something happened and the whole light system thing got broken.. Maybe somebody kicked it, or an accident, I don't know. So, I showed them and explained calmly and they said a "looking disappointed OK", and left me in peace

Another night...
I was cruising happily in Bulevardi, on the bicycle track, late at night, basically almost nobody around... Had two customers onboard, taking them to Scandic Hotel (i think... not sure it was scandic). Other fillartaxies were passing on the other side of the road... few ciclysts and confused pedestrians crossing zig zagging...
You should know that taxies have a battery to help ciclying on steep roads and for lights but at that time of the night it was totally dead, no energy at all. So... While ciclying the colorful three wheels heavy trap I've been approached by a police van. First of all they followed me slowly (at my speed basically!) as if I was a UFO, pointing a big white light straight on me, like crappy hollywood films with helicopters and some commie to chase, haha! Imagine the funny environment: summertime, silence, couple of drunkens on their way back home from Iso Roba shouting and fighting with the pavement holes.. and a police van following a DANGEROUS orange bike taxi...
So, they followed me until the end of Bulevardi, after the market square. Of course, I was just doing my job and absolutely not paid attention on what they were doing to me (lights and following). I thought they liked the taxi, maybe? My customers were actually having a bit of fear, since I have to admit the MAN was in company with this YOUNG girl... So, they decided to finish the ride there, and carry-on walking!
Don't tell me I should have stopped for the police, since they didn't tell me to or not even try to. They were just following me...

At the end they decided that I was too happy doing my ciclying, so they finally told me in finnish to stop. And of course I did.
Again, what was the problem? The lights of course! They first said that the taxi was not VISIBLE (it was orange & white, for god sake!!) so I told them I had not battery left to put lights on, I told them I used lights before... but TOTTAKAI they were looking for the lights on and I had none. So, ok, I agree... "What's next?" I asked kindly...
They wrote for me a document, a "pre-fine", saying that if I was gonna get another one my company was getting in troubles. Ok, OK! Understood. So, they had to write the document.

And the process of getting..:

- my name spelt correctly (i wrote it for them but then they copied it wrong!)
- the exact name of the road where we were (they didn't have a clue about what road it was, and finally I remembered I had a map of helsinki on my taxi, and showed them the road through the map!)
- the 4 lines document form written (after they did it they realised there was no copy paper in between the pages and had to do it ALL AGAIN.......)
...it took something like 50 MINUTES, since the time thay stopped me. I could have worked during that time, some drunk people appeared all around while still, argh...!

So, what is all this story about? Well, I sincerely think that if I was blonde and not looking so "mediterranean" (like all the other taxi drivers with no lights around on the same road, at same time) I was just left alone, without any fuss...
And also I respect Police and I think the majority of them is doing its job in a good proper way. But, still, SOME are a bit THICK maybe, let's admit it. Like in Italy (many of them, yeah! Or Usa, or wherever in the whole planet).
I'm not offending a particular person or the Police Corp here. Just saying that there are exceptions (like italian or finnish grammar, plenty of them) and so we have to.. "COP(e) with them"
So, maybe the guy who wrote here about his bad experience with Police had a chance to meet particularly "aggressive" police officers that day. Maybe? Maybe. There's always the other side of the medal! Nothing is so perfect like SWEDEN after all, HAHA!

"...There will be always some hairy foregneir to stop, in a sea of night Iso Roba-ish Zombies"

Sorry for the long post, but I hope I made "some" sense, sharing my thoughts.
kiitti,
Emi

[Pursuivant]

so the lesson is: if you look like a dago, drive in daylight or have lights

[Shadowless]

Okay, Yeah! And welcome to all of you too. It was 4pm, taking kids home from school. Breathaliser, license and registration all fine yet still I was interrogated about what I was doing here and where I was going for no reason. Maybe they were hoping to find something illegal since I'm brown.

By the response I got here I'm surprised the next thing you say isn't go back to where you came from. Very smart people you are!

Unfortunately, you (not your wife) fit the profile of a group of people who are responsible for a majority of crimes that occur in Finland. The police were simply doing their job. You were not put in jail, you were not deported, you were not beat up or required to pay a huge bribe. Be thankful that you're in Finland where the police only talked to you for a few minutes to verify your identity and purpose. If you are a "white" person in some of the "brown" countries, your life may end abruptly if you are stopped by the police.

I can't believe I am hearing this. I own a business here, I employ Fins, I pay my taxes like everyone else. So I deserve what I got because of the colour of my skin? Show me a statistic that shows that people of colour do most of the crime in this country. You are basically defending racial profiling.

I as an EU citizen and legal resident of Finland should not have to fear being persecuted or singled out for "special" questioning inside a police van while my kids cry in my car all because of the way I look.

I had no problem being breathalised or having my driver's licence checked. What I did have a problem with was the overly aggressive and heavy handed attitude of the police. What is so wrong with asking a police officer why you were stopped? They could have simply said it was a routine check.

I really am sorry for you and ashamed of our police if you went through such occasion. It should not be like this... race or colour should not be an issue. There might be many reasons for their behaviour though. Perhaps they had a reason to suspect, maybe they got a tip or request to seek some 'man of colour'... who ever knows. Never mind it really. Just forget, not all of police are like they were. Those biased, racist authorities with a retard attitude should be removed to another duties. Street sweepers, for example. And everyone of finnish native people have seen every kinda polices, too. With and without an attitude..

However, lets not forget that finnish police is (so I have heard and learnt from news, tv documents and official researches) one of the most 'easygoing' police forces in world. Some russian mobs come here to do crimes for practise cause they won't get themselves into any problems with our 'jovial police'... even if this case of discourse's was !"#¤%, in many cases and in many other countries -> it could be much worse. Believe you me.

[Rabs]

Some russian mobs come here to do crimes for practise cause ....

[Emiliano]

so the lesson is: if you look like a dago, drive in daylight or have lights

Hi!
What's a DAGO?

I would like to know if I look like one of it... (?!?!)