The state prosecutors have carried out checks with the West police district, to see if the police are prioritizing what they have been told about. The findings make the prosecutor’s office uneasy, according to a letter that news has seen. Last year, the police district solved a significantly smaller proportion of the serious cases they investigated, compared to 2022. This means that the clearance rate has fallen from 51 to 42 per cent within one year. The decrease occurs despite the fact that the processing time is shorter and that fewer cases are in the queue. – Disturbing, writes First State Attorney Eirik Stolt-Nielsen in the letter. The police disagree with the description, but say they have tight finances. CRITICAL OF THE POLICE: Eirik Stolt-Nielsen, first public prosecutor in Hordaland, Sogn og Fjordane. Photo: Synne Lykkebø Hafsaas / news “Disturbing” On a national basis, by comparison, 46 per cent of the serious cases had been resolved in the same period. Stolt-Nielsen says that “over time several disturbing developments in criminal proceedings have been identified, despite good arrears figures and short processing times”. He adds that the scarcity of resources for investigating serious violence and murder means that the police have to bring in investigators from other priority areas, who then suffer losses. In particular, the investigation of organized crime and financial crime has suffered as a result of the lack of resources, writes the state attorney. Consequences are that cases remain pending for a long time and that new cases are not created. – Now it is urgent Stolt-Nielsen points out in the letter that he has warned about this before, and the police have said that they will improve. When he now sees himself having to point the finger at the police district again, it is because the situation has become even worse, according to him. – Now it is urgent, so that the research environments in important fields do not become so depleted that they weather, writes Stolt-Nielsen. The inspection has been carried out to follow up on the cases which the Attorney General prioritises. That’s where the West police district gets worse. On the other hand, they improve on matters with a lower priority. Thinks something needs to happen in the way they use the resources Acting First State Attorney Benedicte Hordnes tells news that the situation is serious, but that they cannot go into more detail about the reason for the drop in the clearance rate. Our job here is only to point out negative statistical deviations, according to Hordnes. – But we are clear that something must now happen in resource utilization. We are confident that the police chief is working to improve the situation, she says to news. She is clear that the current situation must not exceed trust in the police. She says that the police have few resources, and that the government created a new police station in Vaksdal against the wishes of the police chief. – We understand that it is difficult for the police district when they have strained finances, but they have to prioritise. As we perceive the police’s description of the situation, the chief of police’s leeway to dispose in relation to the police district’s needs has become smaller in recent years, says Hordnes. DISAGREE: Gunnar Fløystad, head of prosecution in the West police district, does not share the view that there is a disturbing development. Photo: Kari Nygard Tvilde / news The police do not share the state attorney’s opinion Prosecutor Gunnar Fløystad did not have the opportunity to go into the figures on Wednesday afternoon, and therefore says he has not quality assured them. He writes in an e-mail to news that he does not share the public prosecutor’s view of the situation. – We do not share the opinion that there is a disturbing development linked to the serious criminal cases we have investigated. The most serious criminal cases are investigated in a good manner. The concern is greater related to the fact that no crime has been reported that we have not had the capacity to uncover, writes Fløystad to news. He believes that there is a natural reason why the clearance rate has fallen. – Firstly, the number of serious drug cases has decreased. These are cases that normally have a high resolution. Secondly, the number of serial cases involving sexual intercourse with children has been reduced. This has also affected the clearance rate negatively, writes Fløystad. However, he acknowledges that the district has a very strained economy, and points out that they have had to reduce the number of employees by 45 in 2023. – This has naturally also had a negative impact on the ability to initiate investigations. However, work is currently underway to strengthen the capacity to investigate serious crime, which we believe will improve conditions. However, it is not the case that we have failed to properly investigate the most serious cases, writes Fløystad.
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Believes the police solve too few cases – news Vestland
