Prosecutor Opens Probe After Tampere Officer Points Gun at Civilian in Villilä
Prosecutors have opened a preliminary investigation into an August 12 video in Villilä that appears to show a police officer pointing a firearm at a civilian.
A preliminary investigation has been opened into the August 12 incident in Villilä, Tampere, after a video appeared to show a police officer pointing a firearm at a civilian, Tamperelainen reports.
Prosecutors are investigating suspected breach of official duty and unlawful threat. The footage shows a person opening the door of an unmarked police car. Inside, an officer aims a service weapon at them while the person records the encounter on their phone. Under Finland's police law, there must always be legal grounds to threaten someone with a firearm, and the inquiry will assess whether those conditions were met in this case.
The probe comes amid recent scrutiny of police conduct in Tampere after a complaint questioned whether officers fulfilled their duty to protect public safety during a hooded attack on Hämeenkatu earlier this year a complaint to the ombudsman.
Earlier coverage
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