On Monday, NRK wrote about a mother saying that she is afraid of violent youth gangs in Tønsberg. She is not alone in being afraid. Youth violence is escalating in several municipalities in Vestfold, according to the police. Soon the summer holidays are upon us, and many young people will meet. In Færder, the population doubles during the summer months. It can present problems, fears mayor Jon Sannes Andersen. – Can implement measures The municipality works with several agencies to be able to implement measures, if necessary. PREPARED: The mayor of Færder, Jon Sannes Andersen, is excited about the summer, but says his municipality is prepared for trouble among young people during the holidays. Photo: Philip Hofgaard / NRK Mayor Andersen is excited about the effect two years of pandemic has had on young people. He believes they lack two years of experience from youth life. – The young people have been inside for two years, no one knows the effect of that. But it is important that we are aware of this before the problems arise, so that we can implement measures, if necessary, says Andersen. He says violence is a problem throughout the region, and not just in Færder. – The distances are small in old Vestfold, and the young people move very quickly. FIGHT: On Saturday, several children and young people gathered at Sandeåsen school in Tønsberg. Young people threatened 11-year-olds with a bank if they did not fight with each other. Photo: Philip Hofgaard / NRK A group of 10-15 people According to the head of investigation in Sandefjord, Paal Knutsen, the young people travel around to the neighboring municipalities to fight. And it takes little to provoke them. – It could be a look, or that you are wearing something they want, such as expensive clothes or Air-pods, says Knutsen. The pile of cases on the desk of the head of the investigation has grown considerably in the last two years. – Recently, we have seen an upswing in cases. Much of what we are investigating now is robbery, arming with a knife and threats. There are often cases where there are many against one. CONCERNED: The head of the investigation in Sandefjord, Paal Knutsen, is worried about young people who commit violence. Both in terms of where they are going, but also for those who are exposed to violence. Photo: Maria Kommandantvold / NRK “Took over” grocery store The young people who are in the police spotlight in Sandefjord are 10-15 people aged 14-17. The youngest who have been involved in episodes of violence are only 10-11 years old. – They are not that many, but the unrest they constitute is great. The challenge is that we have limited opportunities to intervene, including when it comes to punishment, says Knutsen. Recently, the young people almost took over a grocery store. They used violence against employees, customers and the police. – They have also taken a student out of a secondary school in Sandefjord, where a teacher had to intervene. – Lack of leisure activities It is normal for conflicts to arise when society reopens and people meet. This is what the head of the preventive department in the South-East police district, Mona Elisabeth Solberg Kvistnes, says. ASK FOR HELP: Head of the prevention department in the South-East police district, Mona Elisabeth Solberg Kvistnes, wants the entire local community to stand up to get rid of juvenile delinquency. Photo: Henrik Bøe / NRK And if one is to be able to resolve the conflicts that arise, everyone must step in, she believes. – This is something society must work with, not just the municipality and the police. The local community, which is close to the young people, must also step in, here there is enough work for every man, says Kvistnes. Several of the young people in the gang environment in Sandefjord are not part of the organized leisure activities. Investigator Knutsen believes this may be a contributing factor to the undesirable events. – They hang out with people who have a bad influence on them, says Knutsen. Started before the pandemic Lars Roar Frøyland at the Oslo Met has been researching youth violence for the past seven years. He says the increase in violence among young people started long before the pandemic. The numbers of juvenile violence are lower today than 15 years ago, but higher than five or six years ago. – It was a bottom point for registered juvenile delinquency in 2015 to 2016, so there has been a slight increase since then, says Frøyland. He says it is true that there seems to be an increase in youth violence. But why does he not have a good answer. – A hypothesis is that young people have sat at home in front of a screen to a much greater extent. But in recent years, they have begun to move out again. According to the researcher, there are a few young people behind it. But these often commit very many criminal acts. Frøyland points out that it is important that measures are put in place for the individuals concerned. He refers to examples from Denmark, which have had a good effect. – In Copenhagen, they have invested a lot of resources to help a few young people. In this way, they can also save society greater costs in the future.
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Several Vestfold municipalities have violent youth gangs – NRK Vestfold and Telemark – Local news, TV and radio
