The police and other law enforcement agencies are proposed to be given the opportunity to use fictional child pornographic images in investigations of serious sexual offenses against children. This is stated in a legislative council referral from the government, which also wants to permit other special provocative actions and the insertion of false vehicle information in covert operations.

A completely new law is proposed to provide law enforcement agencies with clear legal support for using so-called special provocative actions during preliminary investigations. The reason is that certain serious crimes are difficult to tackle with current methods, especially when perpetrators operate online, in closed environments, or only contact those who seem to be involved in crime themselves.

One of the most notable parts concerns investigations of serious sexual offenses against children and severe child pornography crimes. Here, authorities would be able to share fictional child pornographic images to build trust with suspects or advance the investigation.

This does not involve spreading real images of child abuse. The material is to be fictional and used as a tool in the investigation.

Acting Undercover

The idea is that the police will be able to act more credibly undercover. Provocative actions in practice mean that the agency actively enters a situation where the suspect expects to encounter another criminal.

The method is sensitive, since it must be clear where the line is drawn between uncovering ongoing crime and inducing someone to commit a crime. That is why the government wants a specific legal basis instead of having the activities rely on more general legal principles.

The government argues that the new law will provide better conditions for investigating and prosecuting serious and hard-to-solve crimes.

Fictional Vehicles

The legislative referral also addresses another tool for covert operations. A separate law would make it possible to create fictional vehicle information, so that vehicles used by law enforcement agencies during surveillance cannot be connected to the Police or any other such agency during a check.

The purpose is to make it harder for criminal networks to uncover surveillance cars by looking up registration numbers or otherwise tracing owners and users.

The proposals are based on an investigative process that started in 2024 and led to the report “Special Provocative Actions” in the autumn of 2025. The government is now sending the proposed laws to the Legislative Council.

If parliament adopts the legislation, the intention is for the rules to enter into force on March 1, 2027.