Today, Kripos publishes the National Murder Overview for 2022. The overview says something about the murders committed in Norway during the year. This year’s homicide overview includes for the first time an overview of the number of perpetrators with serious mental disorders at the time of the crime. Among the 35 perpetrators in 2022, five have currently been diagnosed with a serious mental illness at the time of the crime. According to Kripos, the number for both 2021 and 2022 may increase. The reason is that several perpetrators are still under observation. – I see that this is a real problem. For many years I have been concerned that the seriously mentally ill do not receive adequate follow-up in the mental health system, says specialist in psychiatry Randi Rosenquist. Requested statistics – This has been requested information from both the police districts and other agencies, says Vibeke Syversen, head of the violence section at Kripos. The demand is also the backdrop for the Kripos report from December, which shows that almost every third murder and attempted murder between 2014 and 2021 was committed by people with serious mental disorders. – In the work on the report, we identified an increase. We take this problem seriously and want to follow developments closely, even if the numbers are low. LOOKS SERIOUSLY AT MENTALLY ILL OFFENDERS: Head of the violence section at Kripos, Vibeke Syversen, says they take the problem seriously. Photo: Kripos Murders committed in 2022 The main findings from Kripos’s national murder overview for 2022: 26 murder cases were registered with a total of 29 victims and 35 perpetrators. Three double murders have been registered; one in Oslo, one in Agder and one in the Innlandet police district. In six cases, more than one perpetrator was registered. There are no clear common features in the cases with several perpetrators. In three police districts, no murders were registered (Finnmark, Nordland and Trøndelag). A knife was used in 65 percent of the cases. 77 percent of the murders occurred in private homes. 89 percent of the perpetrators were men. 47 percent of the victims were women. Source: National homicide overview, Kripos State Attorney: – More now than before – We notice that we have more mentally ill perpetrators now than before, also in the serious cases, says First State Attorney Eirik Stolt-Nielsen. Next week he will lead the case where a 35-year-old man is charged with killing his father in Bergen in March last year. The defendant has pleaded guilty. Three of the perpetrators with serious mental disorders at the time of the crime killed their own parents in 2022. In this case, the defendant stabbed his father in his 50s in a car park outside the Vestkanten shopping centre. The 35-year-old also stabbed the father’s wife. She survived the violent episode. When the case starts in Hordaland district court, a request for compulsory mental health care will be made. What is compulsory mental health care In order to be punished (prison or detention), an offender must be sane at the time of the act. The offender is not sane if, at the time of the act, he is psychotic, mentally retarded to a high degree, or has a severe disturbance of consciousness. When it is considered necessary to protect the life, health or freedom of others, an offender who has been punished can be transferred to compulsory mental health care through a sentence. The condition is that the person concerned has committed or attempted to commit a violent offence, a sexual offence, a deprivation of liberty, an arson attack or another offense which violated the life, health or freedom of others. Source: § 20 and 62 of the Criminal Code. Stolt-Nielsen says that the defendant is initially assessed as mentally ill. – He has received treatment, but it was interrupted for a period when he left the country. When he returned, he went untreated until the murder occurred. He adds that the healthcare system in this case had no reason to know that the defendant had returned to the country. SEES A GROWING TREND: First State Attorney Eirik Stolt-Nielsen notices that they have more mentally ill perpetrators now than before, also in the serious cases. Photo: Synne Lykkebø Hafsaas / news – Falling between two chairs Lawyer Marius Wesenberg defends the defendant, but does not want to comment on the client’s health challenges ahead of the murder. As a lawyer, he has noticed a general increase in perpetrators who have a serious mental disorder in recent years. – I notice that there are more judicial assessments and more health assignments for the clients. The problem is that you fall between two chairs. One is assessed as too ill for prison, but too healthy for health follow-up. ALSO NOTICES AN INCREASE: Lawyer Marius Wesenberg has noticed a general increase in perpetrators who have a serious mental disorder in recent years. Photo: Synne Lykkebø Hafsaas Concerned about the downsizing of psychiatry Specialist in psychiatry Randi Rosenquist has for over 40 years treated mentally ill people who commit serious criminal acts. – The challenge is that you cannot know in advance whether they will commit acts of violence. You have to treat many patients better to prevent a few acts of violence, she says. – PSYCHIATRY MUST HAVE GREATER CAPACITY: Randi Rosenquist is a specialist in psychiatry, a forensic psychiatrist and an expert in the assessment of sanity in criminal cases. She calls for greater capacity for psychiatry. Photo: news / news She believes the reason for the problem is that psychiatric wards have been downsized, and blames the state. – Today we have a third of the beds we had 30 years ago. The lying-in period must therefore be significantly shorter. We discharge sick patients who cannot manage an autonomous life. Rosenquist is clear about what is needed to reverse the trend. – Psychiatry must gain greater capacity, and to a greater extent define its social protection responsibility.
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Kripos’ annual murder overview includes for the first time seriously mentally ill killers – news Vestland
