Security is for everyone, everywhere

Petri Häkkinen, the City of Espoo’s Chief Security Officer, reminds us that we all have a role to play in our personal security. Security is also part of all of the city’s operations.

Petri Häkkinen’s career in the field of security began when he pursued specialised studies in security and later in strategic analysis to complement his degree in engineering.

He now has more than 20 years of experience in security management positions, both in the municipal sector and in private companies, and currently works as the City of Espoo’s Chief Security Officer.

“In the past, people would make jokes and call me ‘mister security’. But today, security is part of everything we do in the city every day, and it is everyone’s responsibility.”

Häkkinen and his unit work to enhance the security of the City of Espoo. This includes the organisation’s security, preparedness, data protection and information security.

“One of our duties is preparedness planning that helps the city to perform its statutory tasks, such as schooling and urban engineering services, even in exceptional situations,” Häkkinen explains.

“It’s smart to be prepared,” he emphasises.

The preparedness work also includes a lot of drills and other kinds of practice in operating under exceptional conditions.

As Chief Security Officer, Häkkinen appreciates predictability in everyday life but also emphasises the importance of being prepared for anything. 

He brings up the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic as one of the most memorable experiences in his career.

“In just one day, all of the city’s organisations systematically switched to remote work. The next morning, the only people walking the corridors of the city hall were me and the mayor,” Häkkinen recalls.

“The workload has never been so huge before or after that. I just had to accept the situation and believe that it would be temporary.”

Häkkinen sees his position as Chief Security Officer as a front-row seat not only to Espoo but to Finnish society and both national and international developments.

He and his unit cooperate extensively with all of the city’s units and sectors as well as authorities. 

In addition, there are many other national and international connections in the security industry.

“Because things can change quickly and dramatically, you need to stay alert, be proactive and seek out information.”  
 
Consequently, the Chief Executive Officer’s job description also includes continuous training and preparedness for hybrid threats, for example.

“However, the best thing about this job is having great colleagues.” 

Read more about safety.

Text: Vesa Ville Mattila

This article was originally published in the Espoo-lehti magazine 2/2025. Read other Espoo-lehti articles.