Last year, the police and prosecution authorities had a budget of over NOK 25.1 billion. The government will now strengthen this budget by half a billion kroner in total, after adjusting for inflation. One of the aims of this strengthening is to give the police district the opportunity to employ more operational police officers. The news comes in connection with the presentation of next year’s state budget on Friday morning. Money for Alta education The aim of this strengthening is to work preventively against youth crime and fight against gang crime, financial crime and violence in close relationships. The government wants to use more than half of the extra money for the police to strengthen the local police. This is money that the police districts can use as they wish, with certain guidelines from the government. The pot is split in two: 198 million will go towards maintaining a high level of staffing and activity in the police districts, establishing ten new police offices in 2024 (with a goal of five police positions in each office), measures for recruitment (among other things the creation of a new police training in Alta) and funds to secure necessary improvements in the police’s IT system. 80 million for an investigation boost. The money will be used to strengthen the higher prosecution authority and increase capacity in criminal proceedings, get more investigators in the police district, and measures to raise competence within investigations. The aim is for there to be five police positions at each of the new police offices. The government spent 75 million on the creation of nine new police stations this year. How much of the 198 million that will go to the ten new offices does Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl say they must return to. Struggle with downsizing Mehl has received criticism after TV 2 wrote about downsizing in the police last year. According to a survey carried out by the news channel, nine out of ten police districts have had to cut police positions. A total of 290 police posts have been cut this year alone. When asked by news whether the new proposal is enough to staff the police again, Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp) replies: – It is not me who decides how the money will be used in each police district. All police districts can re-prioritize for other purposes to staff up outside the police district if they want to. How each chief of police wants to prioritize their police budget, and which police district may have dragged new bills into next year, I cannot predict here and now, Mehl answers to news. The Minister of Justice will not say how many police positions the new police pot will be able to provide. She says it is up to each individual police district to decide how they want to use the money. Photo: Nuno Duarte / news The government will allocate the rest of the extra police pot for 2024 as follows: 50 million to combat economic crime/fraud, of which 15 million will go to the force Økokrim’s planned fraud unit in Gjøvik. 100 million for an escalation plan against abuse and violence in close relationships. Among other things, it will go towards establishing new Risk centers in Nordland, South-West and South-Aust police districts. 15 million to Oslo East to prevent the Swedish wave of violence from spreading to Norway. 19 million for a new law for juvenile punishment. 72 million extra for the Police’s security service (PST). Last year, PST had a budget of over NOK 1.39 billion. the opening of 15 new passport offices which will be financed by increased fees. In addition, the government will strengthen the correctional service with NOK 85 million, part of which will go towards creating two new places in the youth prison at Eidsvoll. Below is a list of the budget leaks from the other ministries. Health and care During the election campaign, the government came up with a budget leak about care for the elderly. They proposed to increase the budget by NOK 300 million, which corresponds to 1,500 new hospital places. In addition, the government will provide: Newly graduated rotation doctor Victoria Schei told news last year about the work pressure new LIS1 doctors experience when they start work due to understaffing. Photo: Thomas Halleland Employment and inclusion This summer, the government introduced a new youth guarantee under the auspices of Nav, which will help young people outside of working life to get back into it. The government had set aside NOK 175 million in this year’s state budget for this. In 2024, they will set aside NOK 380 million. The government also proposes to spend: Energy Defense During the throne speech debate in the Storting on Wednesday, Støre confirmed that the government wants to spend NOK 15 billion more on defense by next year. The government has a target of spending 2 per cent of GDP on defense by 2026. The other budget leaks under defense are: 100 million extra for the Home Guard in 2024. 50 million for new weapons and 50 million for training and skills development. 150 million for military space investment at Andøya Spaceport. Climate and environment The government promises that on Friday they will present new climate measures that will cut emissions by 6.4 million tonnes of CO₂ by 2030, writes Aftenposten. Among these measures are: Increase fuel taxes for petrol and diesel by 15 øre per liters and raise requirements for mixing biodiesel. Fee and price increase (estimated 27 øre per litre) compensated by lowering the traffic insurance fee for fossil-fuel cars by NOK 400 a year. Knowledge A total of NOK 1.2 billion to invest in vocational subjects. Cuts in nursery prices from NOK 3,000 to NOK 2,000 a month throughout the country, and even more in the districts. (NOK 3 billion per year) NOK 37 million to strengthen Sami language and culture. NOK 30 million in interest support for municipalities that invest in buildings and equipment to make the school more practical. NOK 120 million for practical equipment in the classroom Increase the living abroad grant for students who cannot live at home, by NOK 600 a month. NOK 60 million. Equipment grant for students at secondary school. increases on average by NOK 220 NOK 40 million NOK 35 million to strengthen the school environment and to reduce bullying NOK 1 billion for research into artificial intelligence over the next five years Start of construction on NTNU’s campus. NOK 178 million next year, frame NOK 6.6 billion 25 million for the start of work on a new research station in Antarctica, which will replace the Troll research station. The project is estimated to cost NOK 2 billion. Transport 4 billion to start the road project on the E6 between Megården and Sommerset in Sørfold in Nordland Money for a new tunnel on the E134 between Røldal and Seljestad in Ullensvang. Cost framework of 4.9 billion 300 million for preliminary work for the joint project Arna-Stanghelle. Calculated to cost a total of 33.2 billion 60 million for the start of landslide protection on the road Rødsliane in Suldal (tunnel) 86.7 million for the urban growth agreement for Kristiansand A smaller amount for a new run in the Oslofjord tunnel. Total frame of 6.5 billion Agriculture and food: 63 million for the construction of grain warehouses Municipal and district 40 million extra for broadband development. The grant will then be a total of 400 million, 50 million extra for so-called rural development agreements (tripling the pot compared to 2023) and 137 million for the rehabilitation of Bergen Court House. Total frame of DKK 1.18 billion.
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