FINLAND'S UNIFORMED POLICE, COMPRISING 75 PERCENT OF THE FINNISH POLICE FORCE, WERE ON STRIKE FROM FEBRUARY 13 TO FEBRUARY 29, 1976. THE STRIKE RESULTED IN A DECREASE IN POLICE-RELATED CRIMINALITY. THE NUMBER OF RECORDED TRAFFIC OFFENSES, ALCOHOL OFFENSES, DRUNKEN DRIVING INCIDENTS AND RECORDED ASSAULTS DECREASED. HOWEVER, FEBRUARY IS GENERALLY THE QUIETEST TIME OF THE YEAR IN REGARD TO CRIMINALITY. FEAR OF CRIME IN GENERAL RANKED FOURTH ON A LIST OF THE CITIZEN CONCERNS IN 1976, ALTHOUGH MORE PEOPLE WERE VICTIMS OF CRIMES THAN IN PREVIOUS YEARS. IN DIFFERENT CRIME CATEGORIES, RATES OF HOMICIDES DECREASED BY 12 PERCENT FROM 1975 TO 1976, ASSAULTS INCREASED, ROBBERIES ROSE IN HELSINKI BY 4 PERCENT WHILE REMAINING AT ABOUT THE SAME LEVEL THROUGHOUT FINLAND, AND REPORTED THEFTS AND CASES OF DRUNKEN DRIVING FELL. YOUNG OFFENDERS, WHO COMMIT EVERY THIRD THEFT AND EVERY FIFTH ASSAULT IN FINLAND, WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR FEWER CRIMES IN 1976. IN ADDITION, 92.3 PERCENT OF ALL SENTENCES INVOLVED THE USE OF FINES. MOST IMPRISONMENT SENTENCES WERE DUE TO DRUNKEN DRIVING AND ORDINARY THEFT. AN INCREASE IN SHORT-TERM SENTENCES LED TO AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF PRISONERS FROM 1975 TO 1976. EFFECTS OF NARCOTICS USE AND THE GOVERNMENT'S FINANCIAL MEASURES ON THE ACTIVITY OF THE POLICE AND COURTS ALSO ARE DISCUSSED IN RELATION TO CRIMINALITY. CHARTS AND FOOTNOTES ACCOMPANY THE TEXT. AN ENGLISH SUMMARY IS PROVIDED. --IN FINNISH. (WJR)