Policeman Andreas loses his job in the preventive department in the East police district. The reason is that the police have to save money. He has worked in different environments, and with building a network of sources in these. That is why he wishes to remain anonymous. We have chosen to call him Andreas. The police’s main strategy now is prevention. Nevertheless, that is where the cuts are now taking place in the country’s second largest police district. – I see it as quite paradoxical, says the policeman. BUDGET CUT: At Lillestrøm police station, the preventive department is to be closed due to saving money. Photo: Hallgeir Braastad / news – Prevention is long-term thinking Andreas has, among other things, worked as a radicalization contact, and a lot with young people and criminal networks. – This is what I am passionate about, so it is very sad and a bit absurd that I will now be cashing out money from the state through Nav instead of actually contributing to the work I do now. He thinks the situation is terrible. It feels completely pointless. But he emphasizes that he will not criticize his leaders. – It’s about economics. They have no choice, he says. He believes that you cut in preventive measures first, because it can take a long time before you see the results of it. – It’s a shame, because prevention is long-term thinking. – We cannot stand and wait. He himself has helped to prevent several incidents. He has had the job for two years, but it took him well over a year to get into parts of the environment and build up a network. – It’s not just about preventing things from happening, but also that if something does happen, we have opportunities to resolve the situation in the best possible way. He refers to the discussion that has taken place about Swedish conditions in Norway. Because that is not the case here, precisely because of preventive work. – We cannot wait until we wake up and take action. And adds: – If we wait, as the Swedes did, for us to get there before we start doing something, then I think we will have a very difficult job, which need not be so difficult, if we just put in time. From prevention to patrol Andreas works at Lillestrøm police station. It is one of the places where the entire preventive department is shut down to save money. Elsewhere, the number of employees working on prevention is halved. This is under the Eastern Police District, which will cut its budget by eleven percent in total. This is a district that is responsible for an area with over 780,000 inhabitants. They cover 29 municipalities in Østfold and Akershus. POLICE HOUSE IN SKI: In the Follo region, around a third of police officers who work with prevention have been given other tasks. Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / news The chief of police in the East police district, Cecilie Lilaas Skari, explains that in the entire district there are ten to eleven people who have changed tasks within the neighborhood police section. They have previously worked dedicatedly with preventive work. – In addition, we see that at times more people have to step in and support patrol activities. Then they cannot work full-time with preventive work, says Skari. MUST CUT: The chief of police in the East police district, Cecilie Lilaas-Skari, believes it is important to have good knowledge of the criminal networks. Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / news Arousing reactions – I think it is reprehensible that one should shut down preventively, says general secretary of the Night Owls Lars Norbom. He fears that it will increase the recruitment of young people into criminal circles, and that respect for the police will decrease. NATTERAVN: Secretary-General Lars Norbom fears the cuts will lead to more young people ending up in environments they shouldn’t be in. Photo: Anders Fehn – Because then you don’t get to know the police in the way you traditionally do through preventive services, he says. He points out that part of the preventive work that the police have done is to create relationships with young people in risk groups. Mayor of Lillestrøm, Kjartan Berland (H), has been in contact with the local police management. Rather than cutting, more police resources are needed in the municipality, he believes. DISTURBING: Mayor of Lillestrøm, Kjartan Berland (H), describes it as a disturbing development. Photo: Rolf Petter Olaisen / news – I get disappointed and very uneasy when the situation starts to turn out the way the police are now signaling, says Berland, and points to how youth crime is developing.
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East police district closes preventive department to save money – Greater Oslo
