On Tuesday morning, the Sør-East police district, which covers the areas of Vestfold, Telemark and Buskerud, came out with a report showing a clear increase in violence and robbery among young people. The trend is similar throughout the country. Ulf Erik Knudsen (Frp) wants more camera surveillance on Bragernes Torg in Drammen, and on the square on the other side of the river. Photo: Balsharan Pal Kaur / news On Tuesday evening, the chairmanship in Drammen discussed the situation, and in Norway’s fifth largest city the majority (Frp, H and PP) now proposes camera surveillance of the squares on Strømsø and Bragernes, writes Drammens Tidende. – It can be perceived as violent, but privacy must be taken into account, and information must be given about it. This is an emergency measure to overcome the cases of violence and robbery we are struggling with in the city centre, says Ulf Erik Knudsen (Frp) to news. – I feel quite safe here, but in the evening it can be a bit scary to be a girl and walk alone in dark streets, so I try to avoid that. Cameras can be a good resource, says Ada Rambo Gjelsten (18). Photo: Balsharan Pal Kaur / news – I feel quite safe in the city, but I know there are more people who have experienced unpleasant things. The police cannot always be present, and then camera surveillance can help them find out what has happened, says Jonas Høydalen (18). Photo: Balsharan Pal Kaur / news – If they have found that it is the best solution, then maybe it is, but I am not sure, says Mathias Dahl Hansen (18). – Monitoring people on the streets is problematic, I have more faith in more police in the city centre, says Nor Alkadai (18). Photo: Balsharan Pal Kaur / news – I think it’s creepy, but there is already some surveillance, says Diana Abdulraman (21). – I’m for it, to find out who is committing the robberies, says Veslemøy Schinnes (20). Photo: Balsharan Pal Kaur / news – Privacy must be safeguarded, but they have control over it. I don’t know whether camera surveillance will help, but the most important thing is preventive measures, and a bigger problem we have to deal with. Give the young people something to do, says Lars (48). Photo: Balsharan Pal Kaur / news Strong growth The two squares are on opposite sides of the Drammen river, and especially on the Strømsø side there has been a lot of juvenile crime. – I think this is a very good solution for Drammen, and it will make it safer to travel in the city centre, says Knudsen. Police director Benedicte Bjørnland is concerned about the recent statistics. Photo: NTB – You are not afraid that crime will simply be moved away from the city centre? – Of course it can happen and that is why we have also included an extra sentence in the decision, and that it must also be considered in other exposed places. Now we first look at these areas, since they are the ones the police have identified as the biggest challenge. In 2023, 21,770 criminal cases involving minors were prosecuted in Norway, which corresponds to nearly 60 cases every day. This was an increase of 28 per cent from 2022. – Increased violence among young people is something the police take very seriously, says police director Benedicte Bjørnland. Liberals: – A bad proposal Ulf Erik Knudsen says that in addition to cameras they want better lighting in the city center areas, and he emphasizes that filming should not be directed towards nightclubs, only towards squares and streets. The Left is still not very enthusiastic. – We think it is a bad proposal, and are fundamentally opposed to monitoring the citizens. These are young people and people who need to be seen in other ways, says Herman Ekle Lund (V). – This may make the police’s job easier, but it will also do so if they get access to your e-mail and mine, and we don’t want that. – What measures do you think can help combat youth crime? – The police have requested a number of measures, which the Liberal Party also supports. There is talk of things such as better lighting in the city centre, more social workers and increased contact with religious communities. Herman Ekle Lund (V) is critical of the cameras. Photo: Caroline Utti / news Swedish investment The Swedish crime researcher Manne Gerell works both in Malmö and at the University of Oslo, and knows the conditions on both sides of the border. – Cameras can prevent some crime, but only in some places and some types of offences. In some squares, such as in Drammen, some crime is linked to nightlife and then the effect is not usually that great. Because when people are drunk, they hit anyway, says Gerell. He says that crime falls on average by around 15 per cent. In Norway, there is only one older study on this, but some research has been done in Sweden. Gerell says that there is little preventive effect on offences, but that camera images can make the investigation by the police easier. – With camera images, it is easier to find out who has beaten someone or stolen something. It may seem that the gang wars in Sweden are fiercer than for a long time, with more murders and bomb attacks. Therefore, the authorities seize every opportunity they have in the hope of overcoming the development. The government has decided that they will quadruple the police’s camera surveillance in the coming years. – New technology such as face registration and automatic recognition of registration numbers on cars is being worked on. A lot is happening, and it’s going very fast. In Sweden, it is linked to the major problems we have with crime here, says Gerell.
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– Can be perceived violently – news Buskerud – Local news, TV and radio
