On 1 March, the application deadline for police training in Norway expired. The applicant numbers are now clear: 2,893 applicants are fighting for 500 study places. This corresponds to around 5.7 applicants per study place. But even though there are more applicants than study places, the number of applicants is falling sharply. Compared to last year, the number of applicants has fallen by 22.5 per cent, or 842 applicants. – My immediate reaction is that it is obvious that there is an effect of the way the work situation is in the police during the day. That’s what Alexander Stokkedal says. He is the leader of the Police Union’s local team the students. – There is no point in spending three years on an education that does not lead to a job, says student union representative Alexander Stokkedal. Photo: Private – There has been a lot of focus on the fact that education leads to unemployment, and that the possibilities of getting a job after graduation are poor. I have no doubt that this is a reaction to that, he says and adds: – There is no point in spending three years on an education that does not lead to a job. – There are still around six applicants for each study place – isn’t it good that the number of applicants is going down? – At least it makes it clear to the government and the politicians that it is necessary to take action so that the police academy becomes an attractive education for the young. Only four got a permanent job in the police That it is difficult for educated students to get a job in the police, confirms the head of the Norwegian Police Federation, Unn Alma Skatvold. – I am not surprised. It is sad that fewer people want to become police officers, but I understand it all the time that the chance of getting a job in the police force has been as poor as in recent years. According to the Police Union, in the last four cohorts there are 447 trained police officers who have not got a job in the police. Unn Alma Skatvold is leader of the Norwegian Police Union. Photo: Martin HW Zondag / news Skatvold has also looked at the 2023 litter. Here, half are without a job in the police – only four have got a permanent job. – So I understand that it has scared people away from applying for police training. So what does she think is the cause? Fears Swedish conditions in police education – There is not enough money for everything that needs to be done in the police, so the districts choose to leave positions open to get the budgets going round. In 2023 alone, operating costs in the police increased by NOK 400 million, she says. – It costs money to have people in work. If you have to pay increased rent, a new police car, computer licenses and so on at the same time, then the only way to save money is not to hire people – and that is what has happened. Last year alone, 400 positions were cut in the districts, says Skatvold. There are four police academies in Norway. They are located in Bodø, Oslo, Kongsvinger and here in Stavern. – What do you fear the consequence will be? – The same development was seen in Sweden ten years ago. In the end, there were not enough applicants to fill all the places at the police academy. It has taken them many years to reverse the trend and again get enough applicants. That is why the Norwegian Police Union recommended freezing this year’s intake of students, and instead use the money to employ already fully trained police officers. – It costs 1.1 million to educate a student. So in the last four years we have wasted half a billion kroner, in addition to the fact that it is horrible for those who have dreamed of becoming a police officer. Relatively stable in the north At the Police Academy in Bodø, however, you do not see the same decline as at the other three police training programs in Norway. – There are no alarming figures for Nordland, Troms and Finnmark. That’s what department head at the police academy in Bodø, Johnny Steinbakk, says. – The total reduction is 22.5 per cent, but we don’t quite see that in Bodø. So the alarm bells aren’t quite ringing for us. Johnny Steinbakk is head of department at the Police Academy in Bodø. Photo: Synnøve Sundby Fallmyr / news He says that from Nordland there are five fewer applicants compared to 2023. And from Troms and Finnmark there are 11 fewer applicants. – But Finnmark still reigns supreme with the number of applicants per 10,000 inhabitants. And it is still the case that most women apply for police training. – The proportion of women is still high with 57.2 per cent of applicants, while only 42.8 per cent are men. But this evens out a bit through the admission, but there is still a slight preponderance of women, he says.
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– Education leads to unemployment – news Nordland
