Solberg’s request: Do not give in to terrorist pressures

ManchesterManchester, GBR 20170523. This is a an undated photo obtained by the Press Association on Tuesday May 23, 2017, of Saffie Rose Roussos, one of the victims of a attack at Manchester Arena, in Manchester England which left more than a dozen dead on Monday. A suicide bomber blew himself up as young concert-goers left a show by the American singer Ariana Grande in Manchester, killing more than a dozen some wearing the star's trademark kitten ears and holding pink balloons as they flee. The Islamic State group says one of its members carried out the attack. (PA via AP) Foto: Privat/PA/AP / AP

After the Manchester terror, Erna Solberg, the police and the Øya Festival ask Norwegians not to give in to fear, but enjoy themselves at festivals, concerts and international matches.

“We are going to carry on going to concerts and festivals and enjoy ourselves this summer too,” says Prime Minister Erna Solberg.

She has no plans to stop attending major concerts with her children.

“I have not experienced  having felt fear of joining in. There is good control in Norway, says the prime minister.

The day after at least 22 people were killed in a terrorist attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, the Norwegian police have a similar message:

“It is important that we continue to live as normal, use the city and attend the events we want to,” says Steffen Ousdal, Head of Emergency Response Section of the Police Directorate (POD), to NTB.

Visiting everyone
A hectic festival, concert and sports summer is awaiting, both in Norway and in the rest of Europe.

Already on Wednesday, the American artist Bruno Mars will hold a concert in the Telenor Arena. 5.-6. of June, the Norwegian Wood Festival will be held at Frogner Park in Oslo, while on June 10 there will be a big football match  in Oslo between Norway and the Czech Republic at Ullevaal Stadium.

“We already have very strict security measures  and we are careful about searching everyone on their way into the arena. We will continue with that, says Operations Manager for Safety at the Bruno Mars Concert, Henning Kristiansen, from the company Pro Sec Security to Budstikka.

Strict rules for drinking alcohol in Norway make many organizers do body searches, a measure that could also contribute to more safety.

– Joint responsibility
Norway’s largest music festival cooperates closely with the police on safety. The Øya festival will take place in Tøyenparken in Oslo on 8th-12th. August.

“We ask our audience to take heed of the advice given by the police, and we have a shared responsibility for not creating unnecessary fear,” says the conference’s chief executive Jonas Prangerød to NTB.

“We have a very experienced security department, which is among the country’s best in planning and implementation of security during concert events.

Our security department conducts security work and cooperates well with police and professional suppliers, he explains.

The attack in Manchester has currently not had any consequences for the police security services assessment of the threat situation in Norway.

Close dialogue
Local police should always enter into dialogue with the organizer to ensure safety.

“They enter into an early dialogue with the organizer to plan the necessary measures to complete the events safely, securely and efficiently,” says Ousdal.

He indicates that it is the police that is responsible for the safety of citizens, either alone or together with other authorities.

“At major events we will do that together with the organizer,” he says.

Ousdal says, however, that it is difficult to be quite clear about where the police and organizer’s responsibilities start and end.

“There are not very clear dividing lines here because the responsibility is shared. One must  plan for everything that has an impact on the surrounding areas and therefore is part of the event, ” he says.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today

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