Silje Gundersen (46) from Sandnes has been drug-free for ten years. Today, she is regional manager for the user and relatives organization A-larm in Stavanger. She herself sought help of her own free will. She believes it is the best starting point for recovery. Gundersen describes the relationship she had with the police when she was addicted to drugs as an us-against-them relationship. – When the police searched us for user doses, it only led to more crime. We had to go out and get new ones. One who, on the other hand, is happy that she was caught by the police, is “Lea” (22). She lives in Sandnes. news knows her identity, but leaves “Lea” anonymous. It all started with a death when “Lea” was 16 years old. A close family friend died suddenly and unexpectedly. The route in the center of Sandnes. An area known to be a gathering point for “the city’s loose birds”, and a place where “Lea” also spent time as a teenager. Photo: Ole Andreas Bø / news – I started getting high, smoking weed and stealing. There was a lot of stealing, says “Lea”. It was a tough experience to deal with. Instead of talking about her feelings, she started skipping school and gravitating towards bad environments. – I could have done much worse things afterwards if I had escaped. Should get help rather than punishment In the spring, the Attorney General came up with new guidelines (external link) for work with drug cases. The new guidelines have led to a sharp decrease in the number of fines for drugs nationwide. The background is three judgments handed down by the Supreme Court on 8 April. The conclusion was that addicts should be able to keep drugs for their own use, without being punished for it. Instead, municipal units must ensure that people are sent on to various treatment options. A round of calls news has made to Oslo, Trondheim, Bergen, Stavanger and Drammen nevertheless shows that few or none have been referred to the drug counseling units. The reason is that the police do not arrest young people on suspicion of drug use. – We no longer have the tools that previously provided grounds for not prosecuting with conditions, such as urine samples and searches, says police superintendent at Sør-West police district, Torstein Soma. Ready – in empty premises In Stavanger, Cathrine Fjørtoft and colleague Jens Olafsson sit alone. Fjørtoft is a professional consultant in the Advisory Unit for drug cases and will carry out breath tests and interviews with people the police have taken for drugs. And help people on to various treatment options if they themselves want it. But no one has come. No young people with drug addiction come here after the police received new guidelines for drug cases. Cathrine Fjørtoft and Jens Olafsson have capacity. Photo: Odd Rune Kyllingstad / news The municipalities have received NOK 100 million to build up this assistance service across the country. – I am very ready to help, says Fjørtoft. In Nedre Storgate in Drammen, a specialist nurse and a social worker are sitting and hoping that the situation will improve. It is also empty in Drammen. Here there should have been full activity with alcohol testing and follow-up from specialists aimed at people who had been caught for drug use. Photo: Morten W. Røkeberg / news – We can hope that there are solutions so that the police can more easily use us and what we are equipped to do here, says Line Gjerdahl, specialist nurse at the advisory unit for drug cases in Drammen municipality. The Norwegian Police Directorate: – Relatively new – I would say that we are in a vacuum. Information we get from parents and young people is that there is still a high frequency of drug use, says Geir Oustorp, head of the prevention department in Drammen. Head of the preventive department in Drammen, Geir Oustorp Photo: Morten W. Røkeberg / news The experienced police officer emphasizes that the use of drugs is illegal. He thinks it is unfortunate that the systems are not ready to deal with people who are caught. Many police officers are also unsure of where the boundaries are. – It will be difficult with prevention and getting people to stop using drugs then, says Oustorp. Soma in the South-West believes they are losing the opportunity to engage in early detection. – It goes beyond the weakest and most vulnerable. Youth aged 14–15. The Norwegian Police Directorate is aware that there are different experiences in the municipalities. Department director in the Norwegian Police Directorate Bjørn Vandvik. Photo: Artur do Carmo / news – This is still relatively new, and it takes time to anchor a new practice, says department director Bjørn Vandvik. He points out that the Norwegian Police Directorate has sent updated routines to all police districts. – It is important that the local police, local prosecutor’s office and the individual municipality find good solutions. The Attorney General is in the process of obtaining reports from the regional state attorney’s offices. They will look at the police districts’ use of coercive means of criminal procedure in minor drug cases. – We expect to complete the report within a couple of weeks, says communications adviser at the Office of the Attorney General, Mie Skarpaas. Different concerns in Stavanger and Oslo – It is worrying that no one is coming. The offer could have been a good tool for those under and just over 18 years of age who have just gotten a foothold in the drug environment, says Eli Karin Fosse, municipal director for health and welfare in Stavanger. Municipal director for health and welfare in Stavanger, Eli Karin Fosse. Photo: Ole Andreas Bø / news She believes the police have a unique chance to carry out outreach work and early detect young people who are on the way to drug addiction. – Now they go further under the radar, she believes. City councilor for work, integration and social services in Oslo, Rina Mariann Hansen. Photo: Live Wold / news In Oslo, 15 units are empty, one for each district. But they have a different opinion. – There are many other ways into various support services for young people, including Utekontakten, Uteseksjoner in all districts, Ung Arena and many more, says Rina Mariann Hansen, city councilor for work, integration and social services in Oslo municipality. She is not worried. – We have never depended on the police to provide help to young people who have started to get drunk. – Ble rescuer Silje Gundersen believes that punishment is not the way to go. She believes it is important to be close for a long time before the police come into the picture. – It has often gone too far when help finally arrives. It must come sooner, she points out. A-larm is a user and relatives organisation. Regional manager Silje Gundersen often has conversations with those who stop by for a chat. Photo: Odd Rune Kyllingstad / news For “Lea”, on the other hand, it was the fact that she was taken by the police that became the turning point. – In retrospect, I see that it was a cry for help. She was summoned for questioning and followed up for ten months afterwards. She still has contact with her helpers. – I am very happy that I had the opportunity to get help. Today, I think that what the police do is preventive in the best way.
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Empty premises throughout the country – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
