Solberg does not want armed police

Prime Minister Erna SolbergPrime Minister Erna Solberg.Photo: Marit Hommedal / NTB scanpix

Solberg does not want armed the police

Norwegian police should as a rule not be armed, says Prime Minister Erna Solberg (H). She is thus on a collision course with her justice minister.

 

In a speech to the Central Council of Conservative party (Høyre) on Sunday, Solberg mentioned that the terrorist attack in London has recently triggered a new debate to arm the police.

– The right party wants a police to be unarmed. It’s supposed to be the main rule, as it’s in the UK, she explained, adding at the same time:

 – But the police must be well trained and armed when the threat poses an additional need for protection. Therefore, they must have rapid access to weapons, and therefore the police must decide when they need to be armed. It should not be a political decision to do that.

 Minister of Justice, Per-Willy Amundsen (Frp),  last week spoke for general arming of the police force.

 –The terror in London shows the importance of prompt response times from the police. Therefore, we should consider in general to arm the Norwegian police, he wrote on his Facebook page last Tuesday.

Six of the seven members of the so-called Armed Forces said “No” in March no to arm police.

The police today have a system of so-called advance storage, where police firearms are locked in a crate in the police car.

 

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today