The government will tighten the penalty for shooting at the police

Justice Minister Tor Mikkel Wara.Photo: Vidar Ruud / NTB scanpix

The penalty for shooting at the police will be tougher, and the minimum penalty will be three years in prison, the government proposes.

 

Justice Minister Tor Mikkel Wara (Frp) launched the news during the Political Union’s (PF) National Assembly, which started Monday. Today, shooting at the police can be punished by imprisonment for up to three years.

“We see the development in our neighboring country that criminals are arming them selves more heavily. Then we can not sit in Norway and think it’s a development that can not happen to us. Therefore, we want to increase the punishment for such crimes as shooting at the police, both by raising the maximum penalty to ten years, but also by introducing a minimum sentence of three years,” Wara said.

Wara stated that the proposal will be sent to the hearing this week. The Justice Minister drew up the incident at a Roa gas station in 2015, where a police patrol was shot at and ended in shoot out during a routine police check, Politiforum writes.

If the bill goes through and a person is sentenced for attempted murder, the penalty will be further tightened.

– “In addition, we will make it punishable to attempt to take the police officer’s weapon. This we will also send for consultation,” said Wara.

During his introduction speech at the National Assembly, Wara stated that crime has changed dramatically in recent years.

“The fact that so many people move freely, gives us a completely different type of crimes. It’s labor crime. Under the table work. Begging. Prostitution. Immigration. How do you finance a stay in the country if you are not allowed to be here but do not want to leave? By crime. It is absolutely essential that we as a society know who is in the country, but we don’t know anymore,” said Wara.

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today