– The fact that everything from the top management in the Norwegian Police Directorate to the police chief in the South-East is unable to handle this in a more prepared way seems unprofessional, says police officer in the Oslo police district Simen Kristoffer Thorvaldsen. He believes that the accused police officer at Kongsberg has been left alone since the case became known to the public. Simen Kristoffer Thorvaldsen believes that the police management’s reaction after the case became known in the media seems hysterical. Photo: Private The police officer was charged with serious bodily injury and grossly negligent breach of duty in connection with an arrest in Kongsberg last autumn. He was acquitted on all counts. Prosecutor Marit Storeng in the Bureau asked for two months’ unconditional imprisonment. The victims have already confirmed that they will appeal the case. The Bureau is now considering the appeal issue. – Must stop burying one’s head in the sand Thorvaldsen is not the only one who is critical. Arne Guddal, incident leader in the South-Eastern police district, also believes that their leaders do not support the operational crews in a good enough way. – They also lack knowledge. They have a tremendous distance from the operational reality, says Arne Guddal to Politiforum. Guddal was summoned as a police professional witness in the trial against the accused police officer. Arne Guddal believes that police officers are thrown under the bus if there is public criticism. Photo: Tordis Gauteplass / news He reacts to police director Benedicte Bjørnland calling the video “shocking” which he reacts to. As a professional, he does not understand why the top manager is not aware of his responsibility. – Then they must be careful in making such statements. It can affect the case. There is very little support to trace to the police officer, he tells Politiforum. In a debate post in Politiforum, the chief police officer in the Nordland police district, Vegard Kristiansen, also criticizes the police management. – Our leaders must stop burying their heads in the sand, get a backbone and go out into the storm and stand side by side with their employees in the media, he writes. news has not succeeded in getting in touch with Kristiansen. Guddal refers to the article in Politiforum. Vegard Kristiansen believes that the accused police officer in Kongsberg would have avoided a lot of incitement if the police management had rebutted in the media. Photo: Lars-Bjørn Martinsen / news Follows all employees according to the rules Police chief in the Sør-East police district, Ole Bredrup Sæverud, tells news that it is difficult for them to comment on what others might think about their follow-up. That’s because they then have to go into detail about how it’s done – something they can’t do. He says the South-East police district follows up all employees according to the rules and routines in their HSE system. – Neither the criminal case nor the personnel case has been finally decided. It is therefore not natural to take a decision on what we can internally learn from this process, says the police chief. Ole Bredrup Sæverud took the accused police officer completely out of service when the indictment became known to them. Photo: Lars Tore Endresen / news Do and say what serves the agency and society When news presents the criticism to the Norwegian Police Directorate, they refer to a chronicle by Benedicte Bjørnland in Politiforum. There, the director of police writes that it is a demanding balancing act that matters committed in the service are subject to investigation – without their employees feeling “thrown under the bus”. – In all my assessments about what I should do and say, I aim to do what I think serves the agency and society at large, she writes. The police director continues that the case, regardless of the final outcome, is a great burden for those involved in the incident, their relatives and colleagues. – In this case, I have been clear that my use of the word “shocking” did not mean that I had enough insight to decide whether the use of force was within the legal limits, writes Bjørnland. Benedicte Bjørnland believes it is an important principle that they wait until a judgment is legally binding before considering them. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten Believes silence leads to loss of trust Simen Kristoffer Thorvaldsen believes the police leadership could benefit from nuanced image for the public and the media. – When these cases come up in the media, and the police are completely silent, it is clear that the public begins to doubt their trust in us, he says. The Oslo police officer is also calling for a reaction from the management now that the accused police officer has been acquitted, even though the verdict is not yet final. – The management will still not vouch for any of what he has done. They stick to the original view of the matter in that they will not suggest that he will get his job back, says Thorvaldsen.
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Police colleagues criticize management’s handling of the Kongsberg case – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
