An active debate about arming the police in Norway has emerged after the recent attacks in the country. The police commissioner believes that serious mental illness alone cannot justify arming the police.
Police Commissioner Benedicte Bjørnland told Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK) that serious mental illness alone, and affected individuals who pose a threat, can’t justify arming the Norwegian police.
After the killings at Kongsberg and the knife attack at Bislett in Oslo, several people have called for permanently arming the police in Norway.
Serious mental illness
The perpetrators in both cases had a serious mental illness.
Bjørnland pointed out that only a few people with mental illness are dangerous. She believes that one should rather look at the law related to mental health and that other factors must be included in the assessment of arming the police.
“What we accentuated in this year’s threat assessment related to the danger of violent escalation in the criminal environments and networks is just as relevant,” she said.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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