Parliament denies funding for long-term Security Police presence in Africa

Mikko Paatero

print this

The Finnish Security Police (SUPO) will not be able to establish a long-term presence in Africa or the Middle East at least this year.
      Parliament has rejected an application for EUR 1.7 million in special funding with which SUPO was to have hired about five detectives to the capital cities of countries in North and East Africa as part of efforts to deter terrorism.
     
However, SUPO will get about EUR 300,000 in funding for an experimental programme for agents working abroad.
      National Police Commissioner Mikko Paatero says that with the funding, SUPO will be able to hire five or six employees. A permanent presence in the target countries would have required between 15 and 20 more members of staff.
      “We will conduct a small-scale experiment on the benefits of this way of working”, Paatero explains.
     
The current head of SUPO, Ilkka Salmi, has repeatedly called for a “forward defence” in the fight against terror. The idea is simply to stop potential terrorists in their countries of origin.
      The focus would be on scrutinising applicants for visas or residence permits for Finland for possible connections with terrorist groups.
     
Paatero says that the next time that the matter is discussed will be the framework budget talks in March. At that time, politicians will decide whether or not to fund this type of SUPO activity in 2011 and beyond.
      He adds that recruitment based on the EUR 300,000 in trial funding is already underway.
     
SUPO’s Ilkka Salmi emphasises that the reduced amount that is available means that no permanent outposts can be set up abroad. Nevertheless, the aim to fight terrorism abroad is a basic starting point.
      “We can make visits of a few weeks to diplomatic missions abroad”, Salmi says.
      He adds that the focus of the one-year experiment will be on the Middle East, but that other areas will also be considered.
     
SUPO plans to continue its fight against terror through traditional means, Salmi says. SUPO has spent nearly a third of its budget on the effort. For this year, SUPO’s budget is about EUR 15,8 million.
      Counter-espionage has traditionally been SUPO’s biggest expenditure, but this year, anti-terrorist activities are to take an equal slice of the budget cake.
      This means that SUPO is to spend well over EUR 4 million on fighting terrorism this year.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Finnish Security Police hope to send agents to Africa (19.10.2009)

Helsingin Sanomat