– As soon as something extraordinary happens, we have no basic preparedness that allows us to cope with it over time. This is what Unn Alma Skatvold, leader of the Police Federation (PF), tells news. She feels that the preparedness in the police districts, and the willingness of the employees to let go of what they have in their hands and stand up, is starting to wear thin. – Now the extraordinary has started to happen so often that it has become the new normal. We go from one defined crisis to another, says Skatvold. She refers to the refugee crisis at Storskog in 2016, followed by the corona pandemic, the Ukraine war with the subsequent refugee crisis and, most recently, the passport crisis. Major survey PF has investigated how the 12 police districts in Norway experience their own preparedness capacity. They have asked the question: Have refugee crises and pandemics come at the expense of daily preparedness in your police district? The answer is a unanimous “yes” from all 12. Read compiled answers from all the police districts to PF below: This is what the police districts answer about preparedness Have refugee crises and pandemics come at the expense of daily preparedness in your police district? OSLO POLICE ASSOCIATION: “Yes. The preparedness of the operative sections was weakened with fewer patrols out and emergency personnel who could not complete the required certification programme. Preventive work also suffered and additional work has generally resulted in higher sickness absence. A lot of work is pending.” THE POLICE ASSOCIATION OF INLAND “Yes. The hinterland is basically poorly staffed and thus vulnerable to crises. We have 46 border crossings with the EU (Sweden) and did not have the opportunity to check all of these. During the pandemic, some offices had to close because employees fell ill. There was no crew to take care of the guard and emergency response. Personnel from other police stations further away had to work overtime to cover the emergency.” POLICE ASSOCIATION MØRE OG ROMSDAL “Yes. Being in a state of emergency over time has demanded a lot from the employees. Unpredictable working hours and more weekend work have been the consequences. This has also meant that matters have been de-prioritized.” NORDLAND POLICE ASSOCIATION “Yes. Nordland operates the police service with minimum staffing and is therefore not equipped to handle crises. It is not possible to maintain adequate police preparedness at the same time as manning internal Schengen and border crossings. The supply of positions and the use of the Home Guard was absolutely necessary to solve the mission.” POLICE ASSOCIATION OF TROMS “Yes. We experienced chaotic conditions initially during the refugee crisis. It takes very little before a crisis knocks out other parts of the business. Preparedness must be looked at as a whole and it is very vulnerable to situations beyond the normal state.” POLICE ASSOCIATION SOUTH-EAST “Yes. Sør-Öst police district has police coverage that is far from the target of two police per 1,000 inhabitants. This leads to an everyday preparedness that barely goes around in a normal situation. The crises have therefore resulted in a lot of overtime and a great strain on the employees.” POLICE JOINT ASSOCIATION TRØNDELAG “Yes. During the pandemic and the Ukraine crisis, the police district has been completely dependent on external resources to satisfactorily fulfill its social mission. We are not robust enough to handle crises of this magnitude without additional access to resources.” POLICE ASSOCIATION EAST “Yes. When the crises came, it became clear that we did not have an emergency preparedness capable of dealing with them. We have had as many as 200 reinforcement resources on the borders and large numbers of police personnel have been transferred internally within the police district. Organizing and training these positions has tied up a lot of resources.” POLICE ASSOCIATION AGDER “Yes. Extra tasks with a high priority as a result of the refugee crisis have come at the expense of basic preparedness. Investigation preparedness was weakened because several investigators had to cover up patrol duty, and thus criminal cases were shelved. In the end, the big loser will be the citizens and weakened trust in the police.” POLICE ASSOCIATION WEST “Yes. The employees have shown great flexibility and stood up to handle and prioritize the refugee crisis, but much of the resources have been directed towards this mission. Among other things, security, emergency services, investigations and traffic services have been given lower priority. The use of overtime has increased, which has resulted in a significant burden on the employees. There has been minimal handling of ordinary police services. We have not been able to assist the citizens to the extent that has been desirable.” POLICE ASSOCIATION FINNMARK “Yes. Large parts of the Finnmark police district are operated on standby duty. We consist of many small units with large distances between them. In order to handle the border mission, resources from the entire police district had to be reprioritized. It can take hours before the patrols arrive at the scene. That is why the fire and health services have several times performed the police’s duties because they were the first on the scene.” POLICE ASSOCIATION SOUTH-WEST “Yes. The number of employees was not the biggest challenge for us in Sør-Vest when it came to handling the crises. But heavy bureaucracy and a lack of local co-determination are what challenged preparedness the most.” – We claim that Norway does not have a basic preparedness that can also deal with something extraordinary happening, says Skatvold. The districts are satisfied news has itself asked each police district to assess its own preparedness capacity. The answers from the management in the districts are not as clear as those from the PF. In fact, almost everyone here is satisfied with their own preparedness capacity: This is what the police districts tell news Agder: – Basic preparedness in the police is ensured through flexibility and mobility both within the Agder police district, through neighborly help and national aid resources when there is a need for it. The police must have good security, preparedness and crisis management skills. Plans and mechanisms have been established for the necessary coordination and prioritization of efforts, says Deputy Police Chief Arne Sundvoll. Finnmark: – The police maintain good preparedness in Finnmark with the resources that are available at all times, says Chief of Staff Tarjei Sirma-Tellefsen. Innlandet: – In the Innlandet police district, we strive for the best possible preparedness at all times [ …]. We should also of course have wanted even more resources for the police in the interior, and would have liked to have increased the police density in both the city and the countryside. At the same time, we must at all times deal with the resources we have available and use them in the best possible way, says Acting Police Chief Bjarte Espe. Møre og Romsdal: – After the police reform, our preparedness has improved significantly. [ …] Our police district has never had as good preparedness as now, and it is perceived as good, says Acting Police Chief Ingmar Farstad. Nordland: – Nordland police district has, through new organization (the police reform), as well as the supply of resources and material, gained a better preparedness capacity than before the reform. The police district has good interaction with both local and national cooperation and emergency response actors, says deputy police chief Arne Hammer. Oslo: – The police district works continuously to improve our preparedness capacity, and believes we have a good ability to handle acute incidents, says deputy police chief Cecilie Lilaas-Skari. Sør-Vest: – Preparedness in the district is assessed as good. We refer to quarterly reports to POD where Sør-Vet police district has good results in response time measurements in all parts of the district, says Steffen Thesen, operational unit manager for joint operational services. Sør-Est: – Although we are constantly working on improvements and further development, the preparedness capability is generally assessed as better now than before the reform, says police chief Ole B. Sæverud. Troms: – The ability to prepare is generally perceived as good within the given resource framework. It is both about the police district’s ability to handle crises and our basic preparedness, says deputy police chief Einar Sparboe Lysnes. Trøndelag: – The police in Trøndelag ensure good readiness and ability to respond with the resources we have available. Plans and mechanisms have been established for the necessary coordination and prioritization of efforts both in the police district and at national level, says Acting Chief of Staff Ola H. Eggen. West: – The police must have good preparedness and the ability to handle crises and the West police district ensures this with the resources that are available at all times, says Kjetil Øyri, acting head of the Joint Operational Services Unit. East: – East police district feels that we have good preparedness with the resources available at all times throughout the day. In addition, good cooperation routines and plans have been established with other police districts and partners to ensure good crisis preparedness, says police chief Ida Melbo Øystese. Skatvold emphasizes that it is not the emergency preparedness capacity of the police districts that they criticize, but the ability to withstand crises over time. – When we have asked questions, we have asked whether the crises of recent years have come at the expense of other things, such as investigation, traffic or preventive work. Then I think we are not prepared to face crises over time. Low police coverage Norway is nevertheless among the countries in Europe with the lowest police coverage. This shows the latest updated overview of the number of police officers per 100,000 inhabitants in European countries. Norway has 98 police officers per 100,000 inhabitants, according to the Norwegian Police Federation. In comparison, Finland has 137. Norway is among the countries in Europe with the lowest police coverage. Photo: Tore Ellingseter Much of the reason is that Norway is a safe country with low crime, says Skatvold, but: – More and more of the crime trends happening around the world are affecting us, we are not an isolated island. So we haven’t kept up with the development, she says. Skatvold believes that although the number of police officers in Norway has actually increased, it is not enough to deal with the reality. Leader Unn Alma Skatvold says that even if the emergency services are to work together on the same mission, the fire and health services should not have to do the police’s duties. Photo: Mathias Revheim-Rafaelsen / news Fire and health must assist In Finnmark, PF reports that it can take hours before the patrols arrive at the scene. Therefore, the fire and health services have several times had to carry out the police’s duties because they were the first on the scene. In relation to news, on the other hand, the chief of staff in Finnmark considers the preparedness to be good. – The police maintain good preparedness in Finnmark with the resources that are available at all times, says Chief of Staff Tarjei Sirma-Tellefsen. Two people were stabbed in Numedal in May this year. The police took 48 minutes to the scene, and the perpetrator was arrested by the fire service. Photo: news In May, two people were stabbed in Numedal in the South-East police district. The police described it as a PLIVO incident, which stands for ongoing, life-threatening violence. It places strict demands on the police to act. Civilians eventually had to get control of the perpetrator. The fire department arrested him. They taped the man’s hands and feet, while they waited about 50 minutes for the police to arrive. Øyvind Aas, police station chief in Drammen, said at the time that the police would have liked to have patrols closer to the crime scene. He pointed out that they cannot be everywhere at all times. – The reorganization of the district now provides the opportunity to build capacity more systematically throughout the police district, while at the same time we are better able to utilize the national emergency resources. Even though we are constantly working on improvements and further development, preparedness is consistently assessed as being better than before the reform, says police chief Ole B. Sæverud in the South-East police district to news. – Continuous challenge Jenny Maria Lundgaard is an associate professor at the Norwegian Police Academy. she has her expertise, among other things, in preparedness. She says you must constantly consider what is most important: potential events, or what is happening at the moment? Jenny Maria Lundgaard at the Norwegian Police Academy says you always have to consider where to deploy the most resources. Photo: UIO/Ribe – It is challenging to find the balance between prioritizing resources on preparations for what may happen in the future and what is actually happening here and now, she says to news. Lundgaard says staff changes have consequences for the departments that experience transfers. – It is a continuous challenge in a system that only has a given number of resources. All movements of people and other resources will be able to affect the area from which they are moved. So far, news has not been able to get a comment from the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness.
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Believes Norwegian police lack basic preparedness – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
