– On a Saturday afternoon at Majorstua, four boys as young as 12 were arrested and suspected of four robberies and attempted robberies. This is one of many examples of threats and robberies in Oslo and the surrounding areas this summer, Støre said in his speech to the national board of the Labor Party today. He went on to point to the Vipps robbery in Drammen and Lillestrøm, the violence against the gay couple on Tjuvholmen and two teenagers in Trøndelag who have been arrested on suspicion of up to 80 criminal offenses in Malvik, Stjørdal and Steinkjer. – Even though Norway is a safe country and Oslo one of the world’s safest capitals, something happens to us when young people threaten with a knife to get hold of money and possessions. Something happens to us when young people make boastful films about abuse. When they invite mass brawls. And when they sell drugs to children, Støre said. He stated that crime must be met in an uncompromising manner. Key words are increased transfers to the police and Økokrim, increased border control and a separate fast track for young offenders. CHECK THIS OUT: Former deputy leader and fisheries minister Bjørnar Skjæran in a cheerful moment with Støre at the Ap meeting in Samfunnssalen in Oslo. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB Støre: The Unorsk National Council is APS’s second highest body after the national meetings. Støre meets his party colleagues about a year before election day next year. According to the polls, support for the Labor Party is far from its old highs, but Støre has stated in several interviews that he himself has full faith in election victory in 2025. And although measures against crime were Støre’s main point, he started his speech with a kick to his rivals on the bourgeois side, the Conservative Party and the Progressive Party. “Unorsk”, read the description. – The money is loose when the Conservative Party and FRP promise big tax cuts to those who have the most from before, said Støre and continued: – Ordinary people must be measured, weighed and credit checked on the doorstep of the kindergarten, the after-school program – for our common welfare. – This is un-Norwegian, said the Ap leader and followed up by stating that “Norway is too small for big differences”. And towards the end of the speech, he repeated the message of a turning point in the economy which means that most people will be better off. – Or, as Statistics Norway said on Friday: “This year we expect the highest real wage growth in over ten years. It means that most people will have more to worry about,” said Støre – to applause from the national board gathered in the Community Hall in Oslo. New measures Several of the main points in the speech were presented as news yesterday, when Støre met the press together with Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum and Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl at Mortensrud in Oslo. There he made it clear that the government is setting aside NOK 2.8 billion for a package against crime in the state budget for next year. The police will receive the largest pot of NOK 2.4 billion – an increase of 10 per cent from today. Machete is something you use in the jungle, not in Oslo, said the Prime Minister in his speech. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB The government also proposes to spend NOK 90 million more to fight economic crime, by strengthening Økokrim’s ability to uncover the culprits, for example by using new technology. – Even though Norway is a safe country and Oslo one of the world’s safest capitals, something happens to us when young people threaten with a knife to get hold of money and possessions. Something happens to us when young people make boastful films about abuse. When they invite mass brawls. And when they sell drugs to children, Støre said. He stated that there must be consequences when someone breaks the law. – The reaction must come quickly. And the punishment should help bring people to a life without crime, Støre said. Fast track – There will be faster reactions and stricter punishments, said Støre and pointed out that money will already be available this year for a fast track for young offenders. – Especially when it comes to young people, the reaction must come quickly and be clear, says Støre to news. He rejects that the Labor Party is now imitating the right wing and claims he is now going to the core of social democracy to fight insecurity in society. – But you have voted down similar proposals from the Progress Party before? – We have put forward these proposals because they are needed now, but what separates us from the Progress Party is that we look at this much more broadly, says Støre and refers, among other things, to measures to prevent crime and recruitment into such environments. Støre also announces a doubling of the capacity in the youth units from next year and a tripling in 2026. Frp: Sovet i timen Frp leader Sylvi Listhaug believes that Støre’s national board speech shows that the government and the Labor Party are lagging behind in dealing with increasing crime. – We have ended up here because you slept in class, Jonas Gahr Støre, says Listhaug in a comment on the speech. – When I challenged Jonas Gahr Støre about Swedish conditions during the throne speech debate last autumn, he thought that the debate belonged more in the Swedish Riksdag than in the Norwegian Storting. It really illustrates most things, she continues. Listhaug believes that the allocations to the police are not enough and says that tougher penalties and new measures are needed. “Unfortunately, the governing parties have voted down several Frp proposals such as reducing the criminal minimum age, doubling the punishment for gang criminals, increasing the level of punishment in vulnerable areas, introducing general arming of the police and visitation zones for weapons control and creating closed institutional facilities for young criminal repeat offenders,” she says. Published 17.09.2024, at 11.47 Updated 17.09.2024, at 13.15
ttn-69
Brutal and ruthless – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
