A number of violent episodes, many of them carried out with knives, have characterized Oslo in recent months. The development of violence has caused concern among parents, who are afraid that their children will be affected. Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp). Photo: Javad Parsa / NTB On Tuesday, the Progress Party sent a formal request to the Minister of Justice to come to the Storting and report on the development of violence in the capital. – We take it as a matter of course that Justice Minister Mehl will come to the Storting and explain now that the violent situation in the capital is apparently completely out of control, says Listhaug. Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp) does not see the need. – I cannot see that there is a need for me to come to the Storting to give an account of this situation right now. In any case, the Storting has not convened after the summer yet, and a possible explanation is in the future, writes Mehl to news. Introduces weapons amnesty Mehl also de-dramatizes the development. She points out that there have also been periods of unrest in the capital in the past. – When the government took over last autumn, there had also been several shooting incidents, and we are now seeing a new series of incidents after a quiet period. The Oslo police indicate that there are periods of greater unrest in certain environments, but at the same time there are fewer serious, young criminals and the number of knife robberies is decreasing, writes the Minister of Justice. At the same time, she points out that the police have deployed extra patrols to create security. And she believes the government is betting on law and order. – The government has allocated NOK 200 million in 2022 to permanently strengthen the fight against crime, more police officers present locally and better prevention. Oslo Police District received NOK 40 million to strengthen work against criminal environments and gangs. The Minister of Justice also shows that the government has recently announced that a weapons amnesty will be introduced from 1 January to 1 June 203. The purpose of the amnesty is, among other things, to ensure that illegal weapons end up in the wrong hands, such as “criminal circles”. Leader of Unit East in the Oslo police, together with parts of the weapons that have been seized in his area so far this year. Photo: Runar Henriksen Jørstad / news Clearer answers are required However, this is not enough to reassure the Frp leader. – The police have warned a number of times about increasing brutality and frequency of violence, but we are not getting any concrete answers about what is being done, says the Frp leader. John Roger Lund, head of the east unit of the Oslo police, told news at the weekend that the criminal circles in parts of the capital are characterized by tough internal justice and territorial conflicts. At the same time, Lund stated that there are no more incidents of violence than in previous years, but that a common denominator for many of the recent incidents is that the perpetrators have been young – between 16 and 22 years old. Listhaug believes the government must tell what is being done to reverse what she believes is a negative development in the capital. – If Mehl refuses to give an account of this case, it must be interpreted as meaning that the government neither recognizes the seriousness nor has any idea how to overcome the situation, says Listhaug.
ttn-69
Mehl rejects Frp demand to explain measures against knife violence – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
