The case in summary: Erna Solberg expresses concern about increasing youth crime in Norway, and believes the government is not doing enough to combat the problem. Solberg proposes to give the police authority to banish young people under the age of 18 from staying in geographical areas, such as the city center at weekends. She believes that the police have received fewer resources in recent years, which has led to fewer solved cases. Solberg also suggests the use of ankle chains for juvenile criminals, and that child welfare services should be more involved in order to move young people on the slope out of their own environments. State Secretary Sigve Bolstad (Sp) in the Ministry of Justice rejects the criticism and points out that the government has allocated a historic amount of money to the Norwegian police in the past year. Youth crime has increased especially in Troms in recent years, with an increase in cases of threats, violence and robbery. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – You can, for example, refuse a young person, on Friday and Saturday evenings, to be in the center of Tromsø. One could assume that this is a young person who has been at the heart of a lot of trouble, says Erna Solberg. The right-wing leader is visiting Tromsø this week, and tells news that she is concerned about the ever-increasing youth crime in the country. She claims the government is not doing enough to overcome the increasing crime rate. news has investigated how many temporary shelters the police have received in recent years, how the development of youth crime has developed and how many offenses are solved. news’s review shows that in recent years: There are fewer and fewer police officers nationally. In all police districts, the clearance rate for offenses falls. More and more young people are becoming victims of criminal acts. Young victims of criminal acts The police’s own statistics on the proportion of young people, between the ages of 10 and 19, who are victims of reported offenses are at their highest since 2013. This was the year Solberg’s first government took over. – Until 2017 and 2018, youth crime fell in the country. So we invested more resources to overcome this problem. The government has not followed up on this work, believes Solberg. In 2023, the police dealt with 21,800 criminal offenses committed by children and young people under the age of 18. This is an increase of over 24 per cent since 2019, the last year before the pandemic and lockdown sent children and young people into isolation. There are the most victims of these punishable conditions, compared to the population, in Oslo and Troms and Finnmark. This thus confirms the trend that more young people, and the police in Troms and Finnmark have warned about over the past year: That crime is increasing in youth environments. This summer, the police in Tromsø also warned of an increasing trend of youth robberies. Among other things, a motorbike driver was knocked down and robbed at a school in Tromsø in June. Believes the police lack resources Solberg believes the police have received fewer resources in recent years, and points to, among other things, that there are fewer police officers employed overall in Norway, after the Ap/Sp government took over. – Nationwide, there are fewer police officers in the police districts than before this government took office. It is police officers who are at the forefront of being able to combat the increase in the violent crime we are now seeing, she says. news has investigated the development in the number of positions in the police in recent years. It shows that there have been fewer police positions and civilian positions in the police since 2022. Solberg believes that this has led to fewer and fewer cases being solved in recent years. – When you see fewer police, it is less likely that cases will be uncovered, and then cases will be dropped. news has examined the police’s own reporting on the clearance rate in recent years. The statistics show that the clearance rate of reported and investigated offenses is falling. Rejects criticism State Secretary Sigve Bolstad (Sp) in the Ministry of Justice points out that the government has allocated more funds to the police in the past year. – We have actually allocated historically high amounts to the Norwegian police. The feedback we get from the police is that the allocations that have been made both in the budget, through the revised national budget, now last with NOK 300 million to fight criminal networks, he says. Sigve Bolstad is state secretary to Minister Emilie Mehl in the Ministry of Justice and Emergency Preparedness. Photo: Kari Anne Skoglund / news In 2024, the government allocated NOK 27.2 billion to the police and the prosecution. In 2023, the government allocated NOK 25.2 billion. In the Solberg government’s last state budget, for 2022, NOK 23.9 billion was allocated. Adjusted for prices, the real increase to the police, from 2022 to 2024, has thus been NOK 1.6 billion. – We are strengthening the Norwegian police. And the feedback we get is that this strengthening helps to ensure that the police are able to fight crime, Bolstad believes. The Swedish criminal network in Troms Bolstad indicates that the number of police officers is now increasing in the Troms police district. – This is money that also hits the Troms police district very well, with a view to curbing crime and the development of crime, he says. Einar Sparboe Lysnes is deputy police chief in the Troms police district. He is aware that youth crime has increased in Troms in recent years. – Especially in the way that the crime has become somewhat more serious and the perpetrators have become somewhat younger. Einar Sparboe Lysnes, Acting Chief of Police in Troms. Photo: Simen Wingstad / news This summer, the police announced that they were investigating several cases involving the Swedish criminal network Foxtrot, which has settled in the towns of Troms. – We have examples of local youth taking the step from youth crime to becoming heavily involved with key players in the Swedish criminal networks, said Yngve Myrvoll, police inspector in Troms police district, at a press conference this summer. Lysnes believes there is a particular increase in cases of threats and violence. – We also have cases of knife use and robbery, he emphasizes. Increasing youth crime in Sør-Troms Police contact at Harstad police station, Marius Bergan, presented a local threat assessment for the municipal council in Tjeldsund municipality in Sør-Troms together with police station chief Ronny Kristoffersen on Wednesday. – We have had a challenge in recent years with increased youth crime. We see that there is a lot of damage and drug activity, Bergan told the elected representatives. The figures show that as many as 36 per cent of upper secondary students in Harstad state that they have been offered cannabis. They also see an increase in youth robberies in Harstad. – There have also been a number of robberies. It has primarily been in Tromsø, but we also have some cases in Harstad, continued Bergan. Deputy Chief of Police Einar Sparboe Lysnes confirms to news that they have been given more positions in Troms in recent years. – We are on track to create 28 new positions. Among other things, our aim is to work against and prevent youth and young criminals from being recruited into these well-known networks, he says. Wants shackles for juvenile criminals Erna Solberg believes the government is not taking the increase in juvenile crime seriously, and believes stronger lye is necessary. She is particularly concerned about the young, and what happens when young offenders are not followed up or punished, and believes that tougher measures must be taken to overcome crime. The police’s powers of intervention (§7 and §13 of the Police Act): Intervention for peace and order (§7): Purpose: Stop disturbances in public peace and order, protect safety, prevent offences. Measures: Regulate traffic, prohibit residence, search, remove dangerous objects, reject/dismiss/persons, stop business, enter private property, evacuate areas. Intervention against children (§13): Children who run around: The police can bring home children under the age of 15 after 10:00 p.m., and children under 18 years of age in case of violation of a stay ban (Criminal Procedure Act § 222 c). Suspicion of an offence: In the event of suspicion of acts by children under 15 years of age, or criminal offences/stay bans by children under 18 years of age, they and their guardian may be ordered to meet with the police for a preventive interview. Notice: Written summons, at least three days notice, informs about voluntary explanation. Source: The Police Act – Then you can also follow up with ankle chains for a period, as a form of house arrest, which means that the police know if this person moves into the area, she says. Solberg also believes that efforts must be made earlier, to prevent young people from entering a criminal career path. – Child protection should be involved to a greater extent and ensure that young people on the slope can be moved out of their own environments for a period, and placed in another place to cool down the situation, she suggests. Published 08.11.2024, at 15.25
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