Photo - Lehtikuva.
After abolishing the traffic wing of police, the government is now going to reduce the number of police stations of the country.
The council of state at a meeting on Thursday decided to bring down the number of police stations to 11 from the existing 24.
The decision will come into effect from beginning of the next year.
According to the state council decision, the Middle-Uusimaa police station will be merged with the East-Uusimaa police station while the Main Finland and Satakunta, Soutwest Finland and Päijät-Häme and Kanta-Häme police stations are going to be combined to Häme police station.
Kymenlaakso and South-Karjala will be merged as Southeast Finland police station. South-Pohjanmaa, Pohjanmaa and Middle-Pohjanmaa police stations are going to be merged with the Pohjanmaa police station.
As per the new structure, the Home Finland police station is going to be the country’s biggest police station in manpower after inclusion of Pirkanmaa and Middle-Finland police stations with it.
North-Savo, North-Karjala and South-Savo police stations are going to be combined as East-Finland police station while the jurisdiction of Oulu police will be expanded by including Oulu, Jokilaakso, Kainuu and Koillismaa police stations with it.
The Lapland police station will be re-structured by bringing Lapland and Bay-North police station together.
The Helsinki and West-Uusimaa police stations, however, will remain unchanged.
Earlier, the parliament on June 5 passed a bill abolishing the traffic wing of the police in a major reform approach apparently aiming at saving cost and streamlining resources amid resistance from both treasury and opposition members.
