Nearly 80 pct Finnish policemen believe refugee situation poses security threat

As many as 79 percent of Finnish police officers consider the situation of asylum seekers as a security threat to Finland, Finnish daily Turum Sanomat reported on Sunday.

Almost one-fourth of the respondents believed the threat is very high, according to an opinion poll conducted by Lannen Media, a joint newsroom of Finnish regional newspapers.

The most common concern raised by the policemen was the fact that many of the asylum seekers' identities or backgrounds cannot be found. They suspected that a certain proportion of the refugees might have connection to Islamic State, the extremist militant organization.

Many policemen therefore were worried about the possibility of terrorist attacks in the country.

Some cultural behaviours, e.g. ,women are less respected in their home countries, are considered as a risk of increased sexual harassments. Long-term idleness and frustration experienced by asylum seekers were factors that could lead to organized crimes.

Furthermore, the poll showed nearly half of the respondents were dissatisfied with the government's immigration policy.

The vast majority of police officers said the so-called "street patrols" organized by anti-immigration groups will increase insecurity.

A total of 2,489 policemen, or one third of the Finnish police force, participated in the survey carried out by Lannen Media in cooperation with the Police Union in February.

Like many other European countries, Finland has undergone an unprecedented refugee crisis. According to the Finnish Immigration Service, more than 32,500 asylum seekers arrived in Finland in 2015.

In December last year, two Iraqis were arrested in Finland on suspicion of terrorism-related murders in Iraq. The twin brothers had stayed in a refugee reception center since September 2015.

Finnish Interior Minister Petteri Orpo has claimed that about 300 asylum seekers in the country were known to have connections with terrorist activities. Endit