The cooperation between Finnish and Swedish police forces aims to shorten response times to emergency situations on both sides of the border.A - Image: Antti Ullakko / YleYle News12:18A historic cross-border agreement between Finland and Sweden comes into effect from Wednesday, 1 July.The cooperation means that police on one side of the border can request assistance from officers on the other side when responding to emergency situations."For emergency calls to the Finnish police, this means for example shootings, stabbings, aggravated robberies and aggravated assaults," Lapland Chief of Police Vesa Pihajoki explained.A 2019 report by the National Police Board of Finland revealed that response times in rural regions of northern Finland can be up to an hour slower compared to urban areas in the south.Police officers on both sides of the border have received training for this new type of operation, although neither force was willing to disclose the exact number of trained officers."We have police officers who have given separate consent, who can be assigned to tasks a bit deeper on the Swedish side. We won't announce the number because that is operational tactical information," Pihajoki said.Improving response timesThe agreement between Finland and Sweden also means that a police patrol can decide to cross the border on its own initiative, especially in the case of a potentially life-threatening incident."The added value is that we can improve security and hopefully reduce response times even further in the most serious cases," Pihajoki said.Pihajoki's colleague on the Swedish side, Östra-Norrbotten Chief of Police Mikael Rova, also emphasised the importance of improving public safety.Finnish Lapland Chief of Police Vesa Pihajoki (left) and Östra-Norrbotten Chief of Police Mikael Rova (right). Image: Jarno Tiihonen / Yle"The goal is to make the Torne Valley safer on both the Finnish and Swedish sides. Now, for example, Swedish police can come to the Finnish side if it takes longer for the Finnish patrol to arrive at the scene," Rova noted.In Finland, the agreement is applied in the municipalities of Enontekiö, Kolari, Muonio, Pello, Tornio and Ylitornio, while in Sweden it concerns the municipalities of Haparanda, Kiruna, Pajala and Övertorneå.Cross-border ties are also set to improve in August, when a new rail service begins between Tornio and Haparanda.