In 2015, Norway’s first a-crime center opened in Oslo. The innovation was supposed to be a spearhead in the fight against crime in working life. Since then, seven new such centers and local collaborations have been established across the country. The recipe from the Solberg government was as follows: The police + other agencies = true. By gathering forces under the same roof, several thugs were to be taken. On a minister’s desk So how has it actually gone? Before Christmas, the evaluation landed on the desk of Labor Minister Marte Mjøs Persen (Ap). A report. It showed some good results, such as innovation and effective coordination. But also some disturbing findings: No one knows whether the efforts have led to less crime in working life, as mentioned by Aftenposten. And not least: even after many years of joint checks, the police are unsure whether the police are actually allowed to be involved. According to the report, some police leaders believe that the law “is absolutely clear that the police do not have the authority to participate in checks”. Others participate to be “solution-oriented”. Oh, that must have been the case: The police + other agencies = it’s complicated. Alf Christian Grøtteland is section leader in the Møre and Romsdal police district. Photo: Police Alf Christian Grøtteland is section leader in Møre and Romsdal police district. There they choose the cautious variant: – We lack a clear authority to participate in such controls. The uncertainty means that we withdraw and do not go out with the others, says Grøtteland to news. On a construction site Now the bourgeois parties in the Storting want to make way in the middle of nowhere. – In such controls, we want the police to participate actively. That is why we want to clarify, and if necessary give new powers, so the police can return to the front line, says parliamentary representative Aleksander Stokkebø from the Conservative Party. He is wearing an orange vest and blue helmet, while he is visiting the contractor Veidekke at Lysaker. The new subway line to Fornebu is being built here. Veidekke makes random samples of its subcontractors. And tips crime centers if illegal activities are suspected. – We most often suspect underpayment and illegal working hours, says Øivind Larsen, Executive Vice President for Infrastructure. Storting representatives Aleksander Stokkebø from the Conservative Party (centre), Ingvild Wetrhus Thorsvik from the Liberal Party and Dagfinn Olsen from the Liberal Party talk with Øivind Larsen, executive director for infrastructure Veidekke (in yellow helmet). Photo: Gry Kårstad / news Høyre, Venstre, Frp and KrF in the Storting are now putting forward seven proposals to strengthen the anti-crime centers and get the police on the job. (See all the proposals at the bottom of the case.) – We must ensure that there are clear authorities. The police are extremely important for the a-crime centres, says parliamentary representative Ingvild Wetrhus Thorsvik (V). In a police office Inge Svae-Grotli sits in a police office in the center of Oslo. He is assistant chief in Økokrim. In front of him is a 90-page report from 2020. In it, Økokrim has determined, to the best of its ability, what the police are allowed to do and not allowed to do in the a-crime cooperation. Inge Svae-Grotli is assistant manager at Økokrim. Photo: Gorm K. Gaare / ØKOKRIM Therefore there is no reason to wonder about any of this anymore, Svae-Grotli believes. – In addition to the investigation itself, we have published information on the intranet, sent letters to the centers and police districts. As well as held meetings with training. – Can the police join the other agencies to check? – From a law and order perspective, the answer is yes. The police can also assist in ensuring the safety of the other agencies. But the police cannot be involved in obtaining information for a possible criminal case. – Is there a need to clarify what the police are allowed to do? – We do not perceive that there is a need to further clarify the authorities in the Police Act now. – What would you say to police officers who are unsure? – Then they can contact their own police lawyers or us in Økokrim. We return Back to the Storting politicians who are shivering in the cold on the construction site. – Økokrim says there is no need to clarify anything. Are you trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist? – For Økokrim, it may be clear. But the police have withdrawn in several places. They refer to a legal uncertainty. It is a politically unacceptable situation. It needs to be cleaned up, says Stokkebø. For now, the last stop on this little journey is where we started, namely the cabinet desk in Oslo. There is still the report with disturbing findings. – Have you taken steps to improve cooperation between the agencies in light of the report’s findings, Labor Minister Marte Mjøs Persen? – Together with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness, we are in the process of further following up the report, she says to news. She states that the ministries will get back to the agencies with a follow-up of the evaluation during the year. Is the problem thus solved for the police officers in Norway who work with organized crime? Well, say it. Labor Minister Marte Mjøs Persen (Ap) Photo: ALF SIMENSEN / NTB To the Storting After several revelations about illegal working life, on news and in Aftenposten, the elected representatives in the Storting have rolled up their sleeves over the past six months: The last subsidy on the list – the seven points from the bourgeois – will be processed in the Storting before the summer. This is how the bourgeois parties will strengthen the A-crime centers The Storting asks the government to reintroduce a unified A-crime strategy across all relevant ministries, which also includes economic crime. The Storting asks the government to initiate follow-up evaluation of the new authorities for information sharing and use between the agencies, so that they can be quickly improved if necessary, as well as to assess the need for joint authorities in connection with joint activities. The Storting asks the government to clarify the cooperation between the National Interagency Intelligence Center (NTAES) and the A-crime centres, including assessing whether NTAES should be given a greater role in analyses, reporting and knowledge-building in the A-crime field. The Storting asks the government to ensure that the A-crime centers prioritize operational checks, sanctions and investigations, and that knowledge gathering is organized to support this. The Storting asks the government to ensure that, in A-crime cooperation, priority is given to the use of arrests and extraditions from criminal actors, as well as obtaining more knowledge about the causal factors behind the decline in recent years. The Storting asks the government to ensure that the police have clear authorizations for participation in the control group and the building of knowledge at the a-crime centres, and if necessary to return to the Storting with proposals for updated statutory authorizations. The Storting asks the government to ensure that the crime centers have a plan for cooperation with non-governmental actors who are close to the victims of workplace crime.
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Police officers fear they are breaking the law if they hunt criminals together with the Norwegian Labor Inspection Authority – news Dokumentar
