Soile Savolainen awarded the Silver Medal of Merit by the police

“This came as a surprise!  A silver medal of merit warms my heart after working for a long time in the same work community as the police,” Soile comments.

The Silver Medal of Merit is one of four different decorations that the police can award. Decorations are usually awarded to police personnel, but sometimes also to other persons who have worked for the benefit of the police. Proposals for awarding the Silver Medal can be made by the heads of police units and the medal is awarded by the Chief Director of the Police Force.

Soile has worked for 18 years in the legal representation for young people aged 15 to 17 who have been suspected of a crime. In her role as a legal counsellor for young people, she participates in the preliminary investigation, monitors the young person's interests and ensures that the young person receives the necessary legal assistance. She attends police interviews and hearings, as well as court hearings. In practice, a legal counsellor for young people works with the young person throughout the criminal justice process, assessing their support needs and referring them to support services if necessary.

She also works as a social welfare representative in Ankkuri, taking part in interviews with criminal suspects under the age of 15 and conducting situation assessments and surveys for special service needs. Her job description also includes co-operation with guardians and other authorities and professional networks.

Over the years, she has had a wide range of experiences, some of them very memorable. She has seen many of her customers grow up to become adults.

"One day I met a former customer in a car park who, even as a boy, was very challenging, even aggressive in his behaviour. He suddenly came up to me to hug me and tell me about his current life, where he had already committed crimes in the past. He wanted to thank me for the fact that even though he behaved badly, we kept listening to him in a neutral way and he felt that he was genuinely heard. In that moment, I felt that I have really chosen the right job for myself,” Soile recalls.

The co-operation model with the police has developed a lot during Soile’s long career. In previous years, there was no dedicated unit for the investigation of youth crime, which only investigated criminal cases involving children under the age of 18. This meant that the same young person, who might have several criminal cases, was always investigated by a new police officer.

In 2020, separate investigation teams were set up for young people.

“When young people have their own investigation team, the same young person may encounter the same police officer several times and I am kind of a partner in that. Together we can get a better insight into the underlying causes of the criminal behaviour and we may also detect other problems in the child's life, which we can use to provide information for child welfare services, for example, for a service needs assessment,” says Soile.

The work of the legal counsellor for young people is therefore essentially preventive in nature, acting as a link between the young person and various social services. In these services, young people and their families receive the support they need and the criminal development of the young person's life is potentially interrupted.

“Crimes are investigated by the police, my job is to treat the customer as a child and make sure that they get the support they need in addition to the legal support,” Soile sums up.

Silver Medal of Merit of the Finnish Police: Soile Savolainen, Social Counsellor
Award criteria

"Social counsellor Soile Savolainen has worked for 18 years as a social counsellor in the statutory children's rights representation of the Western Uusimaa Police Department. In the service of the Western Uusimaa Wellbeing Services County, she participates in the interviews and hearings of children suspected of a crime, enforcement hearings and other court hearings as a representative of child welfare alongside the police. Savolainen has played a significant role in supporting the policing of young offenders in the Western Uusimaa Police Department throughout the above-mentioned period, and her strong expertise and child advocacy have been invaluable in developing the preventive and youth investigation teams of the Western Uusimaa Police Department and the Ankkuri activities in the Espoo-Kauniainen area.”