Government is looking to set up a maximum of three reception centres to house asylum seekers who are believed to be risk cases because they are disruptive or otherwise problematic.

The proposal was tabled Wednesday by a ministerial working group charged with finding ways to deal with security issues at reception centres.

The group said in its report that it would be sufficient for the centres to have the support of security guards, police, social and health care workers and other professionals.

However the question of where these centres would be located is still up in the air, said chair of the ministerial working group, Erkki Matilainen.

According to the working group, the special centres would operate in much the same way that the regular centres do now, with open doors and no restrictions on movement. However officials would have the authority to impose housing and sign-in requirements on residents.

Small minority causing disruptions

Although there is a record number of asylum seekers occupying reception centres, there have been relatively few disturbances.

Officials are currently engaged in identifying possible risks among asylum seekers. One issue that has emerged so far is the question of mental health problems. On Tuesday the Finnish Association for Mental Health highlighted increasing cases of suicide attempts among reception centre residents in the Helsinki region.

Mental health problems may also escalate in centres that are crowded.

“The risks affect both those who are awaiting [asylum] decisions as well as those who’ve received negative decisions, and who are stressed about leaving,” Matilainen said.

The working group said that it wants to improve the current situation by increasing the flow of information among reception centres.

Time running out

The ministerial group is now trying to determine where and how to set up the special centres. Officials have so far placed asylum seekers who need special or especially demanding support at the Hennala reception centre in Lahti.

However there is little time, as any plans would have to be finalised by mid-November so that a final decision could be made a few weeks after that. The centres would then be up and running at the beginning of 2017.

The proposed special reception centres are part of the government’s existing immigration programme, so establishing them would not require the passage of separate legislation.

“The legal route would take time,” the working group spokesman said.