Norway prosecute many people for drug crimes

PoliceOslo,Illustration Image Police.: Gorm Kallestad / NTB scanpix

Only two countries in Europe are prosecuting more people for drug crimes than Norway, in relation to their population.

A review  of the reported figures for drug offenses in Europe made by Klassekampen, shows that in 2014 people were reported for such offences in excess of 48,100 times in Norway, and more than 20,000 people were charged with drug offenses.

The large difference between the number of times drug crimes have been reported and the number of people being charged with such crimes mainly has to do with the fact that many are charged with more than one drug offense.

This means that Norway is number three in Europe when it comes to charges in relation to its population, surpassed only by Denmark and Spain, according to figures from the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA).

Norwegian police is supposed to focus on the persons smuggling and selling drugs, including the leaders of such operations, but out of of  the 48,100 times drug crimes were reported 24.700 of times they were either brought in for the use of drugs or for possession of drugs for personal use. In eight out of ten of these cases, the one charged with the crime were sentenced to pay a fine, according to figures from Statistics Norway (SSB).

According to Statistics Norway, 2014 was the first year where drug issues accounted for almost half of all crime cases. Misdemeanors like speeding are not included in those figures.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today