Oulu Police do not suspect any crime in an incident where three teenagers drowned at the Hiekkasärkät beach in Kalajoki over the weekend.
According to the deputy investigator in charge, Teuvo Nissilä, police have gathered extensive information and conducted sufficient investigations into the events.
"At this time, there is no reason to suspect that anyone has neglected their duties or committed an intentional crime."
The police are not releasing any specific details, as they are investigating the matter as a cause of death case.
The three youths who drowned at Kalajoki’s Hiekkasärkät last Friday lived in a reception home in Kokkola, which houses unaccompanied minors who have arrived in Finland.
No swimming supervision at beach
The incident has sparked public debate over beach supervision. Abdul Mannan, the imam who leads the Islamic Society of Northern Finland, questioned why the boys were allowed to swim in Kalajoki without supervision, calling it a serious negligence.
There has been no swimming supervision at Kalajoki's Hiekkasärkät beach for at least 20 years.
Deputy lead investigator Teuvo Nissilä noted that the youths involved were born in 2008 and 2009 and were not small children.
"The question now is for anyone: how closely are youths of that age generally supervised, and how easy or difficult is it to supervise them in such a situation?"
Migri calls for water safety discussion
Elina Nurmi, Director of the Reception Services Department at the Finnish Immigration Service (Migri), said in a message to Yle that the agency does not have specific guidelines related to swimming.
However, following the incident in Kalajoki, Migri has urged reception centres to address the importance of water safety and swimming skills with their clients to help prevent accidents.
The reception home in Kokkola is operated by a company called Babando.
The company's head of reception operations, Minna Jussila, declined to comment on the incident. She told Yle that, to her understanding, the drownings in Kalajoki are a police matter and that communication regarding them is the responsibility of the police.
Somali community: Don't politicise issue
Abdirazak Sugulle Mohamed, a representative of the mosques of Uusimaa, said he hopes decision-makers approach the issue responsibly. He added that swimming skills should be part of a broader, more general conversation in Finland.
"We shouldn't just talk about the swimming skills of immigrants or Somalis," Mohamed said at a press conference held by prominent members of the Somali community on Wednesday.
Abdulrahman Rage from the Finnish Somali League sees swimming as a vital civic skill for everyone living in Finland, a country of lakes.
Rage emphasised that the issue shouldn't be framed as "us" versus "them" and calls on the government to invest in tailored programs to improve swimming abilities.
According to Rage, the incident has deeply shocked the Somali community in Finland. He said the association has also been contacted by Somalia and Kenya, where the parents of the drowned boys live.
The Finnish Somali League says it plans to place greater emphasis on highlighting the importance of swimming skills in the future. According to Rage, imams in mosques across Finland will also begin raising awareness about the issue.
According to the Finnish Swimming Teaching and Lifesaving Federation (FSL), a large portion of near-drowning incidents at beaches and outdoor pools involve individuals with immigrant backgrounds.
