– It is a very tragic incident, and my thoughts go first and foremost to all the relatives, says Oslo’s police chief Ida Melbo Øystese. Last week, a 16-year-old boy died after he was stabbed near Oslo S. A boy of the same age has been charged with murder and remanded in custody until June. The accused boy pleads not guilty. In the past year, the Oslo police have seen an increase in youth crime. – We have seen that they are getting younger and that there is a lower threshold for the use of violence. – We have been afraid of this. That someone was actually killed, says Øystese. A week after the stabbing, there were flowers by Oslo S where the incident happened. Photo: Bjørnar Brechan / news Young people are sad The Church’s City Mission conducts outreach work in Oslo S: Sporet. They find that many young people at the station seek them out and need them these days. – They say that they are sad because they have lost a friend. And that they think this is terribly sad, says Marte Borkenhagen, head of department for Sporet i Kirkens Bymisjon. Their goal is to promote well-being, safety and health for everyone who travels on Oslo S. What can you help the young people with in this situation? – What we contribute is to be adults who meet them in their grief, and who support them in it, says Borkenhagen. More children are exposed to crime Figures from Kripos show that in the last eleven years, seven people between the ages of 15 and 17 have been convicted or charged with murder. The police chief is concerned about the increase in crime, increased serious violence and increased use of knives among children and young people in Oslo. According to the police, children mostly commit crimes against other children, and the number who experience this in Oslo is increasing. By the end of May, 1,497 children had been exposed to crime in the Oslo police district. That is just over 14 per cent more than last year. – Our most important task both as police and society is to take care of the most vulnerable and the most vulnerable are children and young people in our police district. – When we see that they are constantly exposed to more crime, I think that we must do what we can to try to prevent it. Oslo’s police chief is concerned with preventing and combating youth crime. Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / news Complex cause The police chief believes the reason for the development is very complex. – We need to gain more knowledge about this. But according to the police chief, there are some common denominators among those who commit a lot of crime. – One of them is that they themselves have been subjected to violence. Either at home or among peers. The Oslo police have gone through the cases of people under 18 with more than ten relationships in 2023. Most are boys aged 15–18. Some are under 15. – We see that many were born and raised in Norway, but have a minority background. Want a knife on the agenda She believes the influence of social media comes into play when young people today carry knives more often. – We are a little worried that the young people may not fully understand how dangerous it is to carry a knife. And how quickly it is done is that you use it if you get into a stressful situation. In order for children and young people to understand this, Oslo’s police chief believes that the agenda must be set. That we have to talk about it as a society. At school and other venues. – When the damage has occurred and the police come into the picture, it is already too late. – Set in retrospect. Could the police have done anything to prevent the stabbing at Oslo S which ended in death? – We have to take a closer look at that. Now we are working on that matter. And we have to go through and see that there is something we could have done earlier, says Ida Melbo Øystese. Published 24.06.2024, at 18.42 Updated 24.06.2024, at 19.19
ttn-69
