The police in Sweden are permanently armed, while the police in Norway are usually not. With current regulations, Swedish police cannot cross the Norwegian border with weapons without time-consuming application processes. – As we see it today, they must disarm, says the police station chief at the new police station on the Swedish border, Bjørn Ellingsen. But the Swedes do not want that. Different means of force The whole purpose of the border cooperation is for the Norwegian and Swedish police to work together in the field and take action against criminals together. – We should be able to support each other on both sides of the border, says Bjørn Ellingsen. WEAPON RULES: Police station chief at Magnormoen police station, Bjørn Ellingsen, says common weapons rules are absolutely necessary for the cooperation to work according to plan. Photo: Ann-Kristin Mo Deputy Chief of Police in the Interior, Arne Hammersmark confirms that you can not get operational assistance from the Swedish police as long as the armament rules are different. He wants an agreement to be reached between the Norwegian and Swedish authorities that Swedish police can be unarmed in Norway. Ellingsen believes this can be a good solution. He also envisions two other possibilities: An amendment to the law that stipulates that the police in Norway must also be armed. That the police in the border area receive a special permit for armament. The latter, Hammersmark believes, is irrelevant. The second is a long process. The first, that Swedish police get permission for armed missions in Norway, is also not ideal, Bjørn Ellingsen believes at the border police station. – Then we are two nations with different means of power in the same type of mission, he says. Will not drop the weapons The police in Sweden do not want to lay down their weapons on assignment in Norway, says police area chief in Värmland, Henrik Dahlström. – Our basic attitude is that we have an armed police in Sweden. It has been assessed with regard to the safety of our employees. We have a responsibility for our employees even if they are involved in actions in Norway, says Dahlström. ARMED: Swedish police are always armed and they want to be at work in Norway as well. Photo: Rune Fredriksen / news He hopes they can find good solutions together. – As it is now, it is difficult to take part in emergency operations in Norway, says the police area chief. He says they must reach a high level in Norway to be able to operate armed and that they must find more functional solutions. – We must get a clarification on this. It is absolutely crucial for the job we are intended to do here, says police station chief Bjørn Ellingsen. Not clarified It is only a few weeks since the Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp) opened the new police station on the border between Eidskog in Norway and Eda in Sweden together with her Swedish colleague. At that time, the weapons problem was not the main focus. But when asked by news, Mehl answers that they are working on the case. – We will continue to work with the framework for a permanent solution at the police station, and then we must also look at the regulatory challenges associated with this, says Mehl. OFFICIAL OPENING: Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl cuts the cord at the new police station on 21 June. At that time, different weapons were not an issue. Photo: Knut Røsrud / news She says she is concerned that the cooperation at the border should go as seamlessly as possible. Regardless of this case, the ministry has set up a committee to look at the police’s use of force in Norway, and armaments are a topic there. They will deliver the report during 2022. Takes too long In the meantime, the Norwegian police can request that the Swedish police be allowed to operate with weapons in Norway. That process usually takes some time. – Does it take too long today? – The experience based on previous incidents has been that, yes, says the police station chief. This also applies the other way, if the Norwegian police need to place the armed on the Swedish side. It took three months to obtain the necessary permits when the Norwegian police were to be armed during the World Rallycross Championship in Höljes in Sweden last weekend. As of today, the gun rules are not a problem, since the police in Norway are also armed due to the level of threat. But it is only a temporary armament. Correction: In an earlier version of this article, it was outlined that the Deputy Chief of Police in the Interior, Arne Hammersmark, came up with three possible solutions for obtaining operational assistance from the Swedish police. In this version of the case, it has been corrected so that it is now the police station chief at the new police station on the Swedish border, Bjørn Ellingsen, who outlines these possible solutions.
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Different weapons rules for Norwegian and Swedish police cause problems with border cooperation – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
