On 30 August, two teenagers were stabbed behind Stovner centre. An 18-year-old is detained. On the same day, a car was shot at in Torshov. A few days later, shots were fired at a car in Sandaker. On 5 September, two young boys are charged with stabbing each other at Furuset. On 13 September, two boys, one of them 17 years old, were arrested for a stabbing at Tveita. In recent months, the capital has been characterized by a number of violent incidents. Several times with terrified passers-by as witnesses. Stabbings in Oslo since 30 August. The police say there have been no more incidents of violence than in previous years. But a common denominator for several of the incidents is that the perpetrators have been young, between 16 and 22 years old. While in the 90s and 2000s there were clear gangs, today the police see that several of the conflicts are triggered by a strong ownership of their own area and district. – We see that there are territorial conflicts going on, says John Roger Lund, head of the east unit in the Oslo police. Sometimes a misdirected glance can be enough to trigger the violence. – It could be previous conflicts, it could be revenge and something as random as winking. The picture is from a crime scene at Furuset. Two young boys were charged with stabbing each other at Furuset at the end of August. One is charged with attempted murder. Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / news Hard justice According to Lund, certain parts of the city are characterized by a hard inner justice. The head of the unit refers, among other things, to videos where young people are exposed to violence if they do not greet or do the right things when meeting key players in the communities. – We have examples of young people who are recruited – who do not do what the older criminals want – then we have seen that they are simply beaten. The fear for their own safety leads many to arm themselves. So far this year, Unit East has seized 80 knives and machetes and 40 firearms. Lund believes that he has concrete examples of young people who do not dare to go to an upper secondary school because of conflicts between the districts. – It is worrying and completely unacceptable. Young people must be able to travel freely to training and school. We have to come to terms with this, he says. Around 40 firearms have also been seized during the year in the police district. Photo: Runar Henriksen Jørstad / news Thomas Klevenberg at the Rogstad law firm has represented several of the young people in the environments Lund describes. The police believe that the threshold for using a knife in certain environments is low. Klevenberg says it is important not to generalize, but shares the impression. – The threshold for using violence today is glances, things that have been said, where then will the gang come to terms with this. My impression is that there is a very strong sense of solidarity for everyone in the gang. If someone is exposed to something, the gang must take action on it, he says. The picture is from a crime scene in Vaterland, where a man in his 30s was stabbed earlier in September. Photo: Ismail Burak Akkan / news “Bompenger” It is dark and cold when police chief Alexander Hansen’s shift begins. news is on patrol with the section leader in unit East of the Oslo police. This particular evening it is quiet. But what Hansen sees and hears about the youth environments on Oslo’s eastern edge still worries him. The police see, among other things, that some of the youth groups practice a “toll” scheme. This means that other young people have to send money to youth gangs to cross the district boundaries. Police Superintendent Alexander Hansen says that he experiences greater insecurity in certain areas. Photo: Runar Henriksen Jørstad / news – It’s gotten so bad now that to cross into a neighboring area, in some cases you have to ask permission from the young people who think they “own their own area”, says Hansen. The consequence of not paying the “toll” can be, among other things, a bank or a fine. – This creates fear. Especially if, for example, you have to see the doctor or dentist in another area – you must ask for permission to be allowed to enter the area in question. It is a development that is not wanted at all, says Hansen. Alexander Hansen says children under the age of 12 carry weapons. Photo: RUNAR HENRIKSEN JØRSTAD / news – Young people feel unsafe Mohamed Fariss has worked with children and young people in Oslo for over 20 years. He is active in the sports club Sterling, which is a low-threshold club in Old Oslo. In addition, he works at the Riverside youth center in Greenland, where many young people from different backgrounds travel during the day and evening. – The young people we talk to are worried about what is happening. They feel unsafe, says Fariss. Mohamed Fariss has seen a development during his many years working for the Oslo youth. Photo: Håkon Benjaminsen / news He says that they also notice that there has developed to be more fighting between the specific districts compared to before. – When things unfortunately happen, it’s a bit like “we’re from that district, we’re the ones who did it”. There is a sense of pride attached to this, which is not good at all. Fariss says several young people feel unsafe because of crime. Photo: Håkon Benjaminsen / news 12-year-olds caught with a knife The police also see a tendency for increasingly younger age groups to be recruited into the communities. Even children as young as 12 have been observed with knives, says police chief Alexander Hansen. – But they are the exceptions. It is most common in ages 14 and up. In a report from the Oslo Police District on young criminals, it emerged that almost 20 percent had been caught carrying knives or other types of weapons. In the last three years, the police in east Oslo have registered over 75 cases involving young people under the age of 15 who have threatened with a knife. – It is easily accessible to most people. The consequence of that is that you can quickly end up using the knife – and then we can end up with serious incidents. These incidents could have been avoided if the knife had been left at home, says Hansen. Fariss has also seen signs that younger people are being recruited into criminal circles. He believes the older criminals are speculating that the youngest will not receive the same punishment if they are caught. – Before, the criminals did not want to involve children, but that has changed. Now they are thinking about how they can succeed – and not get caught. John Roger Lund calls for more cooperation from the police, school, districts and parents to meet the challenges. – I would not say that we have lost control, but we take it very seriously and try to prevent it together with districts and others, says Lund.
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