The Finnish Security Police (SUPO) has been promised EUR 850,000 in additional funding to send representatives to work at Finnish diplomatic missions in critical locations in the Middle East and Africa next year.
The government agreed last week in its draft budget for 2011 that SUPO would get the extra funding for the implementation of its anti-terror strategy.
In its strategy, SUPO seeks to stop potential terrorists in the countries of origin. Having SUPO personnel working abroad is a significant strategic change in the unit’s work.
SUPO chief Ilkka Salmi says that the increase in funding is one of the biggest, and perhaps the biggest change in SUPO resources since the 1970s.
“I am very happy that we got so much support from decision makers for our preventative security work. Our experiences of the pilot project that started in the spring of 2010 in the Middle East and North Africa have been very positive”, Salmi said in a SUPO press release.
Earlier in the year Parliament rejected a request for EUR 1.7 million for anti-terror activities abroad, and SUPO had to make do with EUR 300,000 to launch the experimental programme this year.
Some Members of Parliament have were upset when SUPO had given what they saw as insufficient information to Parliament’s Foreign Affairs committee about the change in strategy.
