The expansion of Oslo Airport Gardermoen may cause security concerns, according to police.
Terrorists can slip through our passport control because the police do not have enough time to examine passports thoroughly .
Next year, the new terminal opens at the airport. The airport can then receive up to 30 million passengers annually. The goal is to become an international air traffic hub .
Chief Jon Steven Hasseldal from the Eastern Police District told NRK that the pressure on border control at the airport is already so severe that at worst terrorists and criminals can slip through . He believes the situation is a security risk that it will get worse without more staff.
– If you look at too many passports over time, you become “blind”. There is so much pressure at times compromising the quality, and then we cannot rule out that someone who should have been stopped is waved through, says Hasseldal NRK news.
In the new terminal, the number of passport control points will be expanded from 5 to 14 – but the police do not have enough people to staff them. Border guards sit up to five hours at a stretch without toilet breaks nor lunch breaks, and according to NRK they have up to 15 percent absenteeism, which has meant that many have left.
– We share the concern, and we are in a dialogue with Eastern Police District with regard to a solution, says Head of Department Kristin Kvigne at the Police Directorate. She can, however, not yet promise more officers for control work at Gardermoen.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
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