Last year, 17 victims were killed by a partner or former partner. Kripos is concerned about the increase in violence in close relationships. The new year has started with several murder cases. Rahavy Varatharajan was killed after a man (32) had broken the restraining order ten times in the past nine months. On news’s Debate, the Minister of Justice promised that they will do what they can to ensure that the new law on reverse violence alarms comes into force before Easter. HAD TO ANSWER: Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl in the “Debate” after the murder of Rahavy Varatharajan. Photo: Lars Os The pressure is now increasing for this to come into effect. The change could mean a tenfold increase in the number imposed for this, the preparatory work for the law shows: “When calculating expenses, an estimate of around 200 cases with the imposition of electronic control of a restraining order per year is taken as a basis. This is based on the fact that electronic control is an invasive measure, and that the scheme will not be suitable for everyone. Matters about electronic control of contact bans are added to this estimate.” (See more about the calculation in the fact box). This is what the Ministry of Justice writes in the preparations for Prop 128 L, 10 Economic and administrative consequences: The specific expenses will depend, among other things, on how many people are subject to electronic control. In 2022, 10,981 visiting bans and contact bans were imposed on 6,123 people. This means that several restraining orders and contact bans are often registered on the same person. A total of 222 people were responsible for ten or more violations. In 2022, 3,260 violations of visiting bans and contact bans were reported. This can be indicative of the number of cases that may be relevant for electronic control. When calculating expenses, an estimate of approximately 200 cases with the imposition of electronic control of restraining orders per year is taken as a basis. This is based on the fact that electronic control is an invasive measure, and that the scheme will not be suitable for everyone. Cases about electronic control of contact bans are added to this estimate. In the last three years, there have been around 20 to 25 people who are subject to electronic control of contact bans at any given time. With an estimate of 200 impositions annually, the number of people who are chained at the same time will depend on the duration of the control. If electronic control is imposed with a duration of six months, 200 cases per year will result in 100 simultaneous users. With today’s scope and use, the number of simultaneous users can vary from 20 to 100. Source: Prop. 128 L (2022–2023) Amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act etc. (electronic control of visitor bans) – We expect an increase when the change comes into force, and so we are a bit reticent to say too much now about exactly how large the scope will be, comments Bjørn Vandvik, director of the Department of the Police Directorate (POD). It is the Ministry of Justice that has estimated the extent of the change in the law, which was adopted by the Storting before Christmas. Uncertain if they are ready for Easter Reverse violence alarm should strengthen the protection of people who risk being exposed to violence, threats and other unwanted contact. The purpose of the changes is to prevent violations of visiting bans and contact bans (see graphic at the bottom of the article). Vandvik in POD answers this if they are ready for Easter: Bjørn Vandvik is department director in the Norwegian Police Directorate. Photo: The police – We have that to consider now. We also want to get started with this as soon as we can, at the same time we are very keen to be well prepared and ready when this comes into force. He mentions training for investigators, prosecuting attorneys and the operations center that follows up on the alarms. With the current legislation, the reverse violence alarm must be imposed in connection with a sentence. It can take half a year before a case ends up in court. With the new legislation, the police must be able to handle this every day, says Vandvik. New law on reverse violence alarm There are several changes in the legislation, but this is the central section of the Criminal Procedure Act: Chap. 17 d. Electronic monitoring of restraining orders and contact bans § 222 g “The public prosecutor’s office may impose electronic monitoring of a restraining order or contact ban if the person to whom the ban is directed is reasonably suspected of a breach of the ban, and electronic control is deemed necessary for the ban to be complied with . If the suspicion concerns an offense committed in the last 12 months, electronic monitoring can be imposed together with a new restraining order. Even if there is no reason to suspect a violation of a restraining order, in special cases electronic control of the restraining order may be imposed when it is believed to be required to prevent someone from committing a criminal offense against another person. Section 170 a applies accordingly.” Do the police decide this alone? No! The case will appear in court within a short time. The person who is placed on a reverse violence alarm can waive this right. “The public prosecutor’s office must bring the decision to court as soon as possible and, as far as possible, within 5 days after a decision to impose electronic monitoring on a person has been served. Anyone who is subject to electronic monitoring can waive the right to a trial. The Ministry of Justice is clear that the goal is to be ready before Easter. – The ministry is now working to put this into effect as quickly as possible, and has a clear ambition for the law to enter into force before Easter, writes State Secretary Sigve Bolstad. Believes capacity is overstretched. The Juristforbundet believes that police lawyers are tasked with too many tasks. – It seems that a lot of politicians are keen to show action and pass new laws. And then they forget that the legislative authority and the granting authority go hand in hand, says Sverre Bromander, leader of the Juristforbundet. Sverre Bromander is leader of the Juristforbundet. Photo: Sturlason – So you need more money? – Yes, we obviously need more money to solve this task if it is to be done on top of everything else that is being done today. The capacity is blown, replies Bromander. – This is work that police lawyers do today. Just that it goes to court first? – Yes, they do that today. But here they ask that they do it even more and even faster. 200 is manageable, but that’s not what it’s about alone. It is about what, if any, should not be done to be able to handle these 200, says Bromander. State Secretary Bolstad in the Ministry of Justice replies that more money has been allocated. – It is not right that the government does not follow up this work with money. In this year’s state budget, NOK 100 million has been set aside in fresh funds to follow up the measures in the escalation plan against violence and abuse in close relationships, which the government put forward just before Christmas. – The government will also shortly put forward the government’s plan for strengthened prosecution and investigation, which will be followed up with NOK 80 million in fresh funds in this year’s budget, he writes. The Juristforbundet says they are happy that the money is coming, but are unsure whether it will be enough. – If Bolstad here promises that money has been allocated to implement and handle the change in the law in practice, then I am very happy about that. Then I also assume that they will also follow closely if this is sufficient, and that more will be allocated if it turns out not to be, replies Bromander. If they think they must prioritize Vandvik in POD, the answer is that it is important to prioritize this. – Strictly speaking, the cases have been there all along, so we must at least make sure that we are able to give them a high priority, and then we must be prepared for other cases to be de-prioritised, says Vandvik. Persons exposed to violence and threats can use the violence alarm to notify the police. When they press the alarm button, a signal is sent out to the police, who can rush to where they are. A reverse violence alarm is an anklet that perpetrators of violence may be required to wear when they are sentenced to a no-contact order. The person convicted of violence cannot then travel inside area that has been decided in advance. If the anklet crosses into one of these areas, the police will be notified. They can follow the movements of the violent person on a map and move out if necessary.
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Estimates tenfold increase in the number of reversed violence alarms – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
