Espoo shooting: why was Ibrahim Shkupolli not deported?

A total of around 70 foreigners are deported from Finland annually.

Ibrahim Shkupolli

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A total of 70 foreigners are deported from Finland annually. Some of them are deported over their criminal records.
      Should Ibrahim Shkupolli - the gunman who murdered five people at the Sello shopping centre in Espoo last week - have been deported already ages ago?
      This is a question that has sparked heated discussions on Internet discussion forums since New Year’s Eve, when 43-year-old Shkupolli killed five people and ultimately himself in Espoo.
      Ibrahim Shkupolli, a Kosovar Albanian who moved to Finland in 1990, was denied Finnish citizenship because of his record of numerous criminal offences, including assaults, unlawful threats, traffic violations, and firearm offences. He also had at least one restraining order out against him.
     
In Shkupolli’s case, deportation could have been justified, said Esko Repo, the head of the Asylum Unit of the Finnish Immigraton Service.
      Repo added that he was unaware of the exact nature of Shkupolli’s criminal record, while an overall consideration precedes each deportation decision. In addition to the reasons stipulated by Finnish legislation, a given individual’s ties to Finland are under scrutiny. In other words, for how long he or she has stayed in Finland, and whether he or she has a family here.
      According to the Aliens Act, a person can be deported if he or she is repeatedly convicted of a crime or is found guilty of an offence carrying a minimum sentence of 12 months in prison.
     
The number of foreigners living in Finland is approximately 140,000. Compared with this figure, a total of 70 deportations per year is not much, Repo points out.
      All deportation decisions are made by the Finnish Immigration Service, while deportation is typically proposed by police.
     
On Sunday, both Minority Ombudsman Johanna Suurpää and National Police Commissioner Mikko Paatero were unwilling to comment on the issue of deportation.
      ”Whenever an application for citizenship is rejected, it should be considered whether or not there are grounds for deportation. The police will discuss this issue on Monday”, said Paatero.
     
Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) also commented on the matter in his blog, noting that the man had applied for Finnish citizenship but because of his numerous offences his application had been rejected, and yet his residence permit was extended.
      In what cases can a person’s residence permit be cancelled and do those officials supervising residence permits have enough information on the actions of the persons concerned, Vanhanen asked.

More on this subject:
 Investigation of New Year's Eve mass murder continues

Previously in HS International Edition:
  Shooting suspect previously convicted of firearms offences (31.12.2009)
  UPDATED 2.1.2010: Further information on the murders at Sello in Espoo; police believe motive for killings was jealousy and revenge (31.12.2009)
  Six dead after Espoo shopping mall shooting; gunman killed himself (31.12.2009)

Links:
  Finnish Immigration Service
  PM Matti Vanhanen´s blog (in Finnish)

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