Much as I'd prefer to avoid the issue altogether and wish it had never happened, yesterday's shooting in a grammar school (lukio) in a semi-rural area north of Helsinki happened and needs at least to be mentioned here.

I first heard of it when I got home and turned on the BBC which I suppose indicates that no-one was discussing this at work and probably most people were unaware of it until they got home and turned on the regular news broadcasts.

After the BBC picked it up in their one hour news program and had included an interview with a Finnish doctor in charge of a quick response team and who seemed to be purposely trying to be as vague as possible, I turned on the TV and none of the Finnish channels had a special program on this (although of course there were some teletext reports).

When the news finally came on there was yet another interview with a person who seemed to be avoiding giving details and he then finally gave up and said something like "the police haven't told me what I am allowed to say and what not".

Meanwhile the statement on the situation from the police included a phrase like "there seems to be no more danger of any more shooting".

At the time this statement was issued the shooter (to remind you of at the figures late yesterday: 8 dead (headmaster; 5 girls; 2 boys); ca 20 injured some critical), who had shot himself in the head, was in critical condition and would that night die of his wounds. (The daily free paper had the headline next day  "shooting suspect dies" - carrying on this cautiousness with words that has been a (negative) feature of all of this.)

So the police seem to have forgotten the need for openness but the government system swung into action and within hours there were hot lines set up for the counseling of both school children and parents; a press conference from the government etc. (as well as from the police which I mostly missed but I guess they were still blocking and being evasive).

So Finland is being as efficient as usual but I have to wonder about the police. It's hardly their fault this happened so why all the evasiveness when dealing with it. Why not just say right out "The shooter has shot himself in the head and is in the hospital in critical condition" rather than "it seems there is no danger of more shooting" and why still call someone identified by masses of co-students a "suspect" ? It's beyond me but then I'm not in the police.

P.S. The eight shot dead by "the suspect" are of course a tragedy but I was using early figures when saying above "20 others, some critical". One is said to be critical while they rest are said to have cuts from glass (from jumping out of windows ??).