Oslo police department has received loud criticism of official police response to recent gun-play suffered within metropolitan Oslo; with calls that the police have ‘lost the fight’ against Vestli, Holmlia and other neighborhood ‘gangs’.
With 9 episodes of gun-play recorded since New Year, procedures used by police to limit criminal activity within east & south Oslo are under review.Politicians are asking why police don’t arrest repeat criminals, and former officers have opinioned that they see district reorganization as ‘irresponsible’.
Labour Party representative Jan Bøhler gave comment to KlasseKampen,saying; “As long as the police are unable to work closely to uncover the actual gang structure, we risk revenge spirals. For the gangs, it’s about restoring their honor & status, controlling their perceived areas of influence & drug turnover.”
Police rebuke these charges of insufficiency; reminding that the few cases of illegal gun-play by delinquent children doesn’t reflect a lack of law & order on Oslo’s streets.
Speaking yesterday, May 1st with PolitiForum; Head of Oslo Special Operations Anders Rasch-Olsen gave comment, saying; “We don’t think that we’ve finished,in any sense, with efforts being applied at combating organized crime. We work on this daily.’ –
“We’ve narrowed our focus and have been successful in seeing justice served against criminals with due process under the law within the justice system.’ –
ULTIMATE JUSTICE
“The police district is broadly focused upon prevention, but each case demands proof that a crime has transpired. Bringing cases to ultimate justice requires an extensive effort; and worthy efforts take time.’ –
“We’ve made arrests & have ongoing investigations in almost all shooting cases. Since we started our targeted efforts in 2017 to limit crime in Oslo East, we’ve arrested over 200 alleged criminals within all categories of crime.’ –
“One should be cautious when interpreting statistics, but statistics do indicate that reducing crime is something we take seriously.” – concluded Rasch-Olsen.
CAREER CRIMINALS
The past quarter hasn’t found the Oslo police idle. Police have arrested over 200 individuals and have removed 60 or more alleged criminals from Oslo’s various neighborhoods.These offenders face serious charges and possible long jail sentences for acts of violence and/or major drug offenses.
Salto; a study sponsored by Oslo municipality, finds that a total 151 children within Oslo’s 50,000 juvenile population caused 4-plus requests for police intervention. These ‘4-time’ offenders are career criminals that require large expenditures of police resources.
The Salto study further illuminates that 3% of adolescents between 10 & 17 years of age generate the most criminal activity. 2% are defined as first-time offenders. 1% are deemed career criminals. In 2017, this juvenile sub-group accounted for 37% of Oslo’s total criminal activity.
70 NEW OFFICERS
Responding proactively to reduce Oslo’s apparent juvenile crime, Justice Minister Tor Mikkel Wara (Frp) has called for strong police presence within Oslo’s neighborhoods. District efforts at reducing crime will soon be further strengthened with planned arrival of 70 officers; slated for duty among the district’s specialty-crime units.
© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today
