In the last decades, the responsibility of the state’s internal control has partially shifted from public authorities to private actors. Although the Finnish constitution prevents the actual privatization of the police force, it is important to continuously develop the competence of the private actors. The ever-present guards and stewards should be trained to act proportionally, non-discriminatingly, and as safely as possible towards all parties involved. The legal protection of citizens must not be jeopardized in this process of privatizing the police control.

The latest significant changes to the Finnish legislation regarding the private security sector have come into force 1.1.2017. In this article, I study the aforementioned legislative process: what kind of risks associated with the private security actors have been brought to light and how these risks have been suggested to be managed, especially by developing the training of guards and stewards. As the theoretical framework for my research, I have utilized the Finnish police culture concept developed by Timo Korander. I have built on his idea by considering the differences between the occupational cultures of the police and the private security sector especially in regards to market orientation. I have linked the risks mentioned in the material to the occupational culture features where possible.

During the research, I recognized several different risk themes, of which some were suggested to be managed with training. For example, the government proposal as well as the statements see that private actors having a right to intervene with the basic rights of the citizens without adequate training constitutes a risk. There are also indications in the materials that security personnel carrying and using weapons without the necessary skill sets can be seen to constitute a risk to the citizens’ safety. Other detectable themes include e.g. the need for practical working experience due to the craftsmanship of the profession and challenges arising from the market orientation of the private actors.

As a response to these risks multiple different education related solutions have been suggested during the legislative process. However, I still see a need to further develop the training of the guards and stewards. The goal of the training should be twofold: to improve the occupational culture and to enable the security guards and stewards to recognize and control the negative features of the culture in their own everyday actions.