Record-tight security measures for EU conferences
Four major conferences to be held in Helsinki in August
Jukka Riikonen
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Markku Salminen
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The Finnish EU presidency, beginning in early July, will bring many conferences to Helsinki, all of which will require the tightest and most expensive security measures to date in Finland.
To residents of Helsinki, the conferences will mean diversions of traffic, closed-off areas and long motorcades with escorts.
During high-security conferences, the hotels with official conference guests will have access control and airport-type security checks. Those entering the hotels will have to pass through a metal detector and allow all of their belongings to be scanned.
Most conferences will take a day or two. In August, Helsinki will host four high-security conferences. The largest of these will be the Asia Europe Meeting, held at The Helsinki Fair Centre.
In conferences with a security classification from the Ministry of the Interior, security will be provided by the police. The Helsinki Police Department has been making preparations for two years, police chief Jukka Riikonen said in a press conference on Friday.
Police will be brought from as far away as Lapland, if necessary, to handle security. A single conference can require a force of up to 2,100 police officers, who will be unavailable for other police duty for the duration, said Chief Director of the Police Force, Markku Salminen . Finland’s combined police forces number about 7,000 officers.
Salminen promises that citizens’ security will not be compromised. 2100 is a normal number of officers off duty during the summer holidays. "And security does not plummet during the summer", he points out.
The security measures for the EU presidency will cost millions of euros in taxpayers’ money. Two million euros have been budgetted for the security measures, and an additional EUR 6,5 million has been proposed for the supplementary budget.
The final sum will probably be even higher. The exact cost is unknown, since all of the conferences have not been agreed upon, and the exact nature of security measures will depend on analyses of the threats, which the Security Police and National Bureau of Investigation will compile and provide for the local police forces.
Salminen says that according to international intelligence information, there are currently no specific threats. The investigations into the first of May disturbances in Helsinki have not resulted in changes in security plans. According to Riikonen, preparations had been made for that sort of disorder already before May. The citizens’ right to organise demonstrations will not be restricted.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 22.5.2006 - TODAY |
 Record-tight security measures for EU conferences
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