Violent Victimization, Fear of Crime, and Experiences of Criminal Justice Processes Among Security Personnel in Finland: Evidence From Survey Data

Published date01 February 2020
DOI10.1177/1043986219890207
Date01 February 2020
Subject MatterArticles
/tmp/tmp-17ntIt78SV0aSn/input 890207CCJXXX10.1177/1043986219890207Journal of Contemporary Criminal JusticePaasonen and Aaltonen
research-article2019
Article
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice
2020, Vol. 36(1) 161 –172
Violent Victimization, Fear
© The Author(s) 2019
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of Crime, and Experiences
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https://doi.org/10.1177/1043986219890207
DOI: 10.1177/1043986219890207
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of Criminal Justice Processes
Among Security Personnel
in Finland: Evidence From
Survey Data
Jyri Paasonen1 and Mikko Aaltonen2
Abstract
Security personnel are among the occupation groups with the highest risk of
workplace violence, but the latest Finnish estimates on the prevalence of violence
are based on data collected 15 years ago, after which the sector and its regulation
have evolved considerably. The aim of this article is to present results from a recent
survey of security personnel conducted in early 2018. In addition to presenting new
estimates on the 12-month prevalence of violent victimization and fear of crime,
and the factors associated with them, we examine experiences of criminal justice
processes. The results show high rates of victimization among security personnel,
with a particularly high risk among doormen and guards working in hospitals and
health care centers. More than half of the respondents have appeared in court as
witnesses. We discuss these results in the light of recent legal reforms and research
evidence based on administrative data.
Keywords
private security, workplace violence, victimization, fear of crime
1University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
2University of Helsinki, Finland
Corresponding Author:
Jyri Paasonen, University of Eastern Finland, 80101 Joensuu, Finland.
Email: jyri.paasonen@uef.fi

162
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice 36(1)
Introduction
People working in protective service occupations have by far the highest risk of
becoming victims of violence at work, with police officers being perhaps the most
studied occupational group (Buckley, 2016). Meanwhile, the excessive use of force by
police has once again become a heated issue, especially in the United States (Morgan
et al., 2016).
In contrast with the police, information about the private security sector is scattered
across different companies and may not be publicly available, making national statis-
tics on violence involving security officers hard to compile. As in other countries, the
private security sector in Finland has expanded fast in the 21st century.
Police-recorded violence against private security operators has increased in Finland
in the 21st century, and the level has stabilized in recent years at just over 2,500 cases
per year (Aaltonen et al., 2017; Paasonen et al., 2018). However, it is likely that a
substantial share of the violence against private security operators is not reported to
the police and is therefore not recorded in official statistics. Reporting practices may
also change over time (Kivivuori et al., 2018).
The latest Finnish estimates on the self-reported prevalence of victimization are based
on data collected 15 years ago, after which the sector and its regulation have evolved
considerably. The aim of this article is to present results from a recent survey of security
personnel conducted in early 2018 and examine both levels and determinants of violent
victimization. First, we present new estimates on the 12-month prevalence of violent
victimization and fear of crime. Second, we use logistic and linear regression models to
analyze variation in victimization and fear of crime by security personnel characteristics.
Finally, we examine experiences of criminal justice processes.
Background
National victimization surveys show that in 2016, 6% of 15- to 74-year-old Finns
experienced physical violence in the workplace (Danielsson & Kääriäinen, 2017).
Youth is associated with higher risk of victimization (Piispa & Hulkko, 2010; Siren
et al., 2013). Although overall gender differences in violence and threats experienced
are small in Finland, working-age women experience workplace violence twice as
often (over 10% of the respondents) as men. In 2016, 17% of working individuals
stated that they feared violent victimization, one in four women and one in 10 men.
The risk of workplace violence is especially high in workplaces where employees
meet clients who behave violently or are intoxicated, such as workplaces near restau-
rants (Danielsson & Kääriäinen, 2017). The workplace violence experienced by men
is explained by the control duties acquired by men, and part-time and fixed-term
employees may not be trained by their employers and be assigned shifts where more
violence is encountered (such as peak-hour and night shifts) (Piispa & Hulkko, 2010).
Violence against private security operators specifically has been studied relatively
little in Finland and internationally. With the growth of the private security sector,
workplace violence in Finland has doubled between 1999 and 2007 (Piispa & Hulkko,

Paasonen and Aaltonen
163
2010). Private security professions have been described as jobs involving a high threat
of violence (Danielsson & Kääriäinen, 2017; Heiskanen, 2007).
Individuals working as guards and security workers seem to experience more
threats and physical violence that leaves no marks than those in other professions.
Employees in the social sector, however, suffer physical violence resulting in visible
injuries more often than others. When a guard encounters violence, the offender is
typically a stranger, whereas in most other professions, the offender is familiar (Piispa
& Hulkko, 2010). The susceptibility of guards and security stewards to risk cannot be
seen in national studies on crime victims or population surveys due to the small num-
ber of people working in the field (compared with, for example, the social and health
care sector) (Danielsson & Kääriäinen, 2017).
A Finnish study based on data collected in 2003 examined the forms and prevalence
of workplace violence experienced by guards as well as some risk factors. Verbal vio-
lence had been experienced by 39% (19% had been threatened) and physical violence
by 15% of guards. Risk factors exposing guards to violence were male gender, young
age, less work experience,...

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