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16.09.2026 10:00

PAM wants an overhaul of legislation on the private security sector

The current situation puts the legal protection of both employees and ordinary people at risk. PAM believes that security professionals should have clear powers and sufficient training. This would improve the legal protection of both employees and the public.

PAM proposes that a comprehensive reform of legislation on the private security sector should be launched during the next government term. The reform would clarify and extend the powers of security professionals while also increasing the length of their training.

The proposal is based on a report prepared for PAM by Licentiate of Laws Mika Koponen, Challenges in private security sector legislation in relation to practical work (2026).

-Every day, security guards and stewards protect the basic functions of our society and critical infrastructure, including hospitals, power plants, courts, shops, public transport, airports, ports and railway stations. Their operating environment has become broad and challenging, but legislation has not kept up, says PAM President Annika Rönni-Sällinen.

PAM proposes combining the duties and powers of security guards (vartija) and security stewards (järjestyksenvalvoja). Under the current legislation, they have different duties and powers. In practice, however, employees often perform similar duties regardless of their job title. They deal with the same disturbances while working in pairs and may even work in different roles during the same shift.

— Ordinary people do not know the difference between the rights and powers of a security steward and a security guard – and sometimes neither do those who supervise the work or purchase security services. When decisions about matters such as the use of force sometimes have to be made in a fraction of a second, the situation can be challenging even for the employee. This is not sustainable in terms of the legal protection of either employees or ordinary people, says Markku Saikkonen, collective agreement specialist responsible for the private security sector.

Use of force requires better training

The proposal is based on a report prepared for PAM by Licentiate of Laws Mika Koponen, Challenges in private security sector legislation in relation to practical work (2026).

— Security guards and stewards use force and, in their work, directly intervene in individuals’ fundamental rights, such as freedom of movement and personal integrity. Considering this, the sector’s training requirements are too limited and the powers granted to employees are too unclear. To do their jobs well and safely, security professionals need clear and sufficient powers as well as more extensive training than they currently receive, Rönni-Sällinen says.

Following the reform, professional security work could have a single set of powers and use only the title of security guard. The powers and training of employees in the sector would then largely correspond to those currently applying to stewards appointed to assist the police and the Finnish Border Guard.

In future, the title of security steward would be reserved for non-professional activities, in practice for duties under the Assembly Act. This would continue to make it possible to maintain order at summer events, sporting events and other large public events.

Read the report in Finnish

Keywords:

legislation private security

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