Police leaders are asking for a new assessment of permanently arming the Norwegian police

Police gunPhoto: Vegard Wivestad Grøtt / NTB

The Norwegian Association of the Chiefs of Police (NACP) believes that it must be assessed whether the Norwegian police should be permanently armed. The Minister of Justice says that the government will set up a committee.

“With the new crime picture and the police’s threat assessments, the time is ripe for a new assessment of whether the Norwegian police will become a permanently armed police force,” Frank Gran, head of the NACP, wrote in an email to NTB.

Gran says that he and his members have been skeptical of permanent armament and have given their support to the recommendations from the Armaments Committee (Bevæpningsutvalget) – but that he is now experiencing a mood change among Norwegian police leaders.

“For our part, it is important to have a thorough and knowledge-based process, where both employees in the police and civil society participate with knowledge, experience, and input – before a new political decision is made. It is apparent that both the crime picture and the threat assessments have changed since 2017, where the knowledge base must also be updated and new permanent measures considered,” Gran said.

New debate

In the last week, multiple people have called for a new debate on arming the police after a man was shot and killed by the police at Bislett in Oslo last week.

The first police patrol at Bislett had the pistols locked in the car as they had not been given the assignment through police channels. They, therefore, had to spend time unlocking the weapons after making contact with the man.

On Wednesday last week, Johan Fredriksen, head of the joint operational service in the Oslo Police, told TV 2 that he does not disregard the fact that lives could have been saved with permanent armament.

In a survey from the same channel last week, 57% of respondents answered that they believe that the police should be allowed to carry weapons, while 41% answered that they believe weapons should be available in cars, as they are today,

Will not use individual events as justification

Gran says that the police’s annual threat assessment reports an increase in cases where people with serious mental illnesses and substance abuse problems commit serious violence and threats, and it is likely that more people than before will commit serious acts of violence.

“It is not unnatural to see this in connection with the conditions for forced incarceration. This is an area that worries our members,” he said.

“At the same time, we are concerned that we should not use individual incidents as a justification for permanent armament. Here we need a good and knowledge-based review,” the police chief said.

Government considering a committee

Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl said during a speech at the Norwegian Police Union’s national meeting on Tuesday that the government is now considering setting up a committee.

“An assessment of the means of power must see all these things in context. It cannot be based on individual incidents but on a good knowledge base. I’m looking at that. 

“Part of that assessment is whether we should set up a committee that can look more closely at various issues related to arms,” Mehl said, according to Politiforum.

Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews

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