In May, news wrote about an internal Kripos report in which it emerged that one in four people reported for rape were not entered into the police’s DNA register while the case was under investigation. Department director in the Norwegian Police Directorate (POD), Bjørn Vandvik, described it as serious. – Everyone should have been here. We are not satisfied until we are at 100 per cent in obtaining DNA samples, he told news in May. Failure to register may have an impact on the resolution of other matters. This summer we told the story of “Stine”, who received a phone call from the police six years after the rape she reported had been dismissed. They had found the rapist because of a match in the DNA register. The Attorney General will take action After the cases were published, the Attorney General and the Directorate of Police met and discussed, among other things, the Kripos report and the lack of registration in the DNA register. Now the Attorney General is taking action. – We informed the Norwegian Police Directorate that in 2024 an investigation will be carried out into the quality of investigations into rape cases, writes state attorney Guri Lenth in an e-mail to news. She adds that it is “natural that this includes various questions related to DNA, including registration in the investigation register”. State Attorney Guri Lenth. Photo: Sturlason – A systematic examination of the quality of the investigation in a certain number of cases will show what is generally satisfactory and where there is a need for improvement. Findings from such a quality survey will mean that targeted measures can be introduced where there is a need for it. – Shown how important it is According to Lenth, it has not been decided which and how many cases will be investigated or which quality markers they will look for. – But the goal of the investigation is that it should give us knowledge that is relevant in the further work with professional management towards the police, and we will formulate quality markers with this in mind. According to Lenth, they will also emphasize the importance of registration in the investigation register going forward. According to the state attorney, the decision on a quality investigation into rape cases was made independently of the Kripos’ report and news’s mentions of it. – However, the report and discussion have shown how important it is that questions related to DNA are formulated in a way that makes the answers useful afterwards. We will take this into account in the preparations for the quality survey. – They have had a good time André Oktay Dahl is chairman of Dixi, a service for rape victims. He believes there is a need to go in depth to find out where the problem lies. – What the Attorney General writes sounds a bit over-the-top. They have had plenty of time to specify it a bit more and find out how this should be done. It doesn’t seem like it’s going very fast, he says. Photo: Patrick Da Silva Sæther / news Dahl believes that it will be natural and central for the Attorney General to investigate all the police districts in Norway. – They should compare the police districts and check: Are there places where you are better than others at registration? Does it have to do with resources or culture? An average figure for all districts will not give us any understanding of the cause of the problem, Dahl believes. He hopes the results of the investigations will be presented no later than next year’s revised national budget. Satisfied with the meeting Head of Section in POD, John-Magnus Løkenflaen, writes in an e-mail that they are satisfied with the meeting, which was one of several regular collaborative meetings POD has with the Attorney General. – The Attorney General is responsible for the quality of the investigation and follows this up further. We at POD will do what we can to support the guidance the Attorney General brings. – I was very lucky. news has also been in contact with “Stine”, who experienced that the registration of DNA in the police investigation register was absolutely crucial for the man who raped her to be convicted later. – I was very lucky in my case in relation to the DNA register. And it was absolutely crazy to hear that so many people were not registered. “Stine” is very happy to hear that DNA registration is now being taken up. – It’s great to hear and I hope it will help others as it helped me, she says.
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The Attorney General will examine the quality of investigations into rape cases – news Dokumentar
