– For me, the decision to close down was particularly sensational. I am worried about the future, says Oddgeir Høyekvam. He is talking about Operation Spiderweb. A group in the Sør-Vest police district that will prevent, uncover, investigate and bring online child abuse cases to court. At the beginning of October, it became clear that the group was to be shut down. Høyekvam led Operation Spiderweb when it started in 2019, and he is afraid that the closure will lead to the erosion of expertise. – I believe that more victims, who are the most vulnerable in our society, will not receive a good enough legal certainty. I fear that more children who are exposed to abuse will now go under the radar. The police’s Operation Spiderweb has led to 100 convictions. Photo: Ingvild Stuedal Taranger / news In 2021 it was decided that the project should be made permanent after a two-year trial period. Has been a great success Criticism has not exactly been small after the closure became a fact. The project’s work to expose online rapists has led to over 100 convictions in four years. But the resource situation of the Sør-West police district now means that the project must be closed. Oddgeir Høyekvam is afraid that the closure of Operation Spiderweb will lead to the erosion of expertise. Photo: Ingvild Stuedal Taranger / news – Still working on serious cases – I think Hans Vik should consider very carefully whether the Spiderweb group was what should be sacrificed at a time when the police district is struggling with resources, says Høyekvam. Hans Vik is police chief in the Sør-West police district. Vik tells news that the people who worked with Operation Spiderweb will still work on serious cases. – There can be other types of abuse, murder cases, violence in close relationships and the whole range of such cases, says the police chief. Police chief in the South-West police district, Hans Vik. He says he cannot answer whether Operation Spiderweb would have passed if the government had allocated more money. Photo: Øystein Otterdal / news The former leader of Operation Spiderweb believes that there is no need to shut down the group in order to transfer expertise to other fields. – The competence will be diluted. If you want to become good at what you do, you need a lot of training. When one moves the focus away, I fear that the competence will not be maintained, says Oddgeir Høyekvam. Not sure if the closure was correct Police Chief Vik has until now been tight-lipped about the closure and the criticism that has followed. Vik says that the reason for the closure is complex, but that the resource situation, which he describes as demanding, plays a role. – Our job is to do something with what we have, and what we have is the budget we get, he says. – Do you know that it was right to shut down Operation Spiderweb? – Yes, but we are not absolutely sure. He believes it is right to find the right balance. – If it turns out to be completely wrong, we get to adjust back. – Scary Ada Sofie Austegard is the head of Stine Sofie’s Foundation. She rages against the police chief’s statements. – It is frightening that the police chief says they will go back if it doesn’t work. It is gambling with children’s lives and health. I don’t understand that he even dares, she says. Ada Sofie Austegard, leader and founder of Stine Sofie’s Foundation. Photo: Per-Kåre Sandbakk / news Austegard believes the closure is a disaster, and she is critical of the fact that those who have built expertise in the field are now working with other criminal acts. – It goes without saying that they cannot investigate as many cases. I know that Hans Vik cannot show the same number of convictions in a few years.
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Former leader fears fewer abuses against children online will be uncovered – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
