The case in summary: There has been an increase in incidents of violence among young people in Kongsberg this autumn, with young people as young as 13 threatening others with knives. The police and child protection believe that parents must be more present in their children’s lives and get more involved in what they do in their spare time. The statistics show that the number of violent cases among young people under the age of 18 has never been higher in Kongsberg, which is also reflected in figures for the entire police district. Head of Child Protection Tone Risvoll Kvernes believes that parents today rely too much on their children’s stories and that they should take back the parental role, set boundaries and not be afraid of being unpopular. Outside contacts Bente Bjørdal and Øyvind Bjerkvik believe that the violence is often about outsiders and that it is important to talk to the young people about the fact that it is illegal to walk around with a knife. Psychologist Line Marie Warholm believes that many adults are too concerned that the children should not experience any discomfort, and that they therefore do not set the necessary boundaries. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. Crime boss at the police in Kongsberg, Morten Ole Pedersen, shows what the police seized of knives and weapons from young people in Kongsberg during three weeks in September. There are several knives, knuckle bars, a small ax and a baton. Young people as young as 13 have threatened other young people with knives. Now the police and child welfare services believe that parents must be more present in their children’s lives. Morten Ole Pedersen is head of crime at the police in Kongsberg. Photo: Maria Kommandantvold / news – You can get a little more involved in your young people and what they do in their spare time. Who they are with. Ask them a bit and maybe pick them up if they are in town to experience a bit for yourself, says Pedersen. – Can you see that there has been a development? – This is a trend that we have not seen, at least not an accumulation of so much. This is a spiral that we must stop. Communication between children and young people is important, believes the crime boss. – But a number of parents have probably left the parental responsibility to the public, says Pedersen. The statistics at Kongsberg show that the number of cases of violence against young people under the age of 18 has never been higher. This is supported by figures for the entire police district. I think parents are keen to be friends with the children. – Parents today perhaps trust the stories and narratives of their children a little too extensively. Today’s generation of parents is very keen to keep a friendship with their children. Child welfare manager in Kongsberg municipality, Tone Risvoll Kvernes. Photo: Maria Kommandantvold / news – You can successfully take back the parental role, become more clear, set boundaries and not be afraid of being unpopular. It comes with the parental role. You have to be unpopular, and you have to make decisions that young people don’t like, says Risvoll Kvernes. Young people think parents and teachers need to talk more together. David and Dominykas are both in the 10th grade and have caught up with the autumn’s events in Kongsberg. Among other things, they have seen the film that is circulating on social media where a young man is threatened with a knife by a young boy. – There must be more communication with parents and teachers. If you feel bad at home, you can talk to some teachers or the police, suggests David. Dominikas is not very fond of going out at night. He says he goes to the gym. – Before I didn’t think much about it, but now I take a detour around the Knutepunkte, he says. David and Dominykas are not happy to go out at night. Photo: Maria Kommandantvold / news – It’s a bit about outsiders Some people who know a good part of the young people and the youth environment in Kongsberg are Bente Bjørdal and Øyvind Bjerkvik. Outdoor contacts are a lot among young people where they stay. They say there are individual reasons why it happens. – It’s a lot about outsiders, that some people don’t feel at home at school or in organized activities. – What can be done for these young people? – It is important to talk to young people about the fact that it is illegal to walk around with a knife. Øyvind Bjerkvik and Bente Bjørdal are Kongsberg municipality’s two external contacts. They talk a lot with the young people in the city. Photo: Maria Kommandantvold / news Psychologist: – We are too concerned about the children not having to face any discomfort Psychologist Line Marie Warholm works a lot with the relationship between children and parents. Psychologist Line Marie Warholm. Photo: Astrid Waller She says that a number of adults ask her how they can set limits for their children without them getting angry or upset. – We are too concerned about the children not having to face any discomfort on the road, says Warholm. – On the one hand, we have high expectations of them. At the same time, we do not set the boundaries that they need. They don’t get enough resilience when they go out into the world because we have protected them so much, she adds.
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Increase in youth violence: – You can successfully take back the parental role
