Page 21 - The police annual report 2016 annual report 2016

tion was noted at the meeting. On the other hand, the organisational changes in the Rus- sian Ministry of the Interior have created the need to reorganise the practical cooperation.
ASYLUM SEEKERS ENTER FINLAND VIA RAJA-JOOSEPPI AND SALLA
A total of 1,757 asylum seekers entered Finland from Russia via the Raja-Jooseppi and Salla border crossing points between Septem- ber 2015 and February 2016. A total of 1,063 asylum seekers entered Finland via these border crossing points in 2016.
The last asylum seekers entered via this route on 29 February 2016, after which there have been no arrivals. For this entire time, the situ- ation remained peaceful at the more southerly border crossing points on the eastern border. The largest reason for the stop in the arrival
of asylum seekers was the border agreement that was concluded as a result of cooperation between Finland and Russia.
The majority of the illegal immigrants who en- tered Lapland in 2016 used Russia merely as a transit country, and had obtained a single-en- try or multiple-entry Russian visa for their trip.
Many of them stated that they had utilised a smuggler, who had obtained travel documents and/or Russian visas for them for a fee.
Asylum seekers from Afghanistan were clearly the largest nationality group amongst the asylum seekers who arrived at the Lapland border crossing points in 2015–2016. There were citizens of a total of 37 different countries amongst the asylum seekers who entered Finland via these border crossing points. In addition to Middle Eastern and South Asian countries, there were also immigrants from North, West and Central Africa.
THE POLICE, ANNUAL REPORT 2016 21