The government has said several times that they will strengthen efforts to “crush” criminal networks and stop the flow of drugs into Norway. The Norwegian Customs Service will now receive NOK 250.5 million more over the state budget for next year. This is an increase of 132.5 million from what was first presented in the revised state budget this spring. – This is very good news for the Norwegian Customs Board. It was important and right. I am very happy that the government seems to have listened to our message recently, says Karin Tanderø Schaug. She is a leader in the Norwegian Customs Union. – We have been in and are in a very demanding situation. The use and sale of crack and cocaine has increased in Oslo recently, after the Customs Agency reported a record number of seizures. At the same time, the use of violence linked to drug sales among young criminals has increased and become more serious. The Customs Union has stated that the Port of Oslo lacks customs officers, equipment and control rooms. They are therefore not allowed to stop the supply of drugs, weapons and currency at the border. – Without a strong Customs Service, what we see in the society around us will be considerably more demanding to deal with. Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (Sp) tells news that the increase in the allocation is particularly aimed at the agency’s efforts against drug trafficking. – It involves increased staffing for control, physical presence at the border, investment in control of ship and container traffic and acquisition of scanners, boats and other necessary control equipment. Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (Sp) says the Customs Agency is now considerably better equipped to face the growing threat from organized crime and drug smuggling at sea and in ports. Photo: Torkil Stoltz / Torkil Stoltz – In addition to the new scanner at Magnormoen, the Customs Agency is in the process of replacing the scanners in Oslo, Brevik and at Ørje – with the first scanner delivered from 2025. New scanners are also planned for Northern Norway and Western Norway, says the finance minister. – More difficult for criminal networks Cocaine production in the world has never been higher. And stricter port controls in the rest of Europe could lead to more foreign criminal networks looking to Norway. – We are in a challenging time and here the Customs Service has an incredibly important role on our border, in the front line. Stopping the supply at the borders is something that the Customs Agency itself must do, and not something that the police can solve for them, according to Schaug. When the Customs Agency is built up, there will be an increased risk of being caught, she says. Over the course of four months in 2023, over two tonnes of cocaine flooded into Norway in banana crates. Photo: Tolletaten But the Customs Union has previously stated that between 600 and 900 million in increased allocations are needed. It is necessary to strengthen the Customs Office over five years, according to Schaug. – With significantly more man-years and a larger budget framework. Then we need some time for that, because it is not possible for the Customs Agency to increase dramatically in one year. – Are you satisfied with 250 million, if it also means that you will receive large grants in the future? – As long as the government does not see it as signed. That now they have fixed the Customs Service, because they haven’t. This is a good start, but it must also continue. If not, we will be the same distance in a short time. Vedum tells news that he cannot say anything about what the upcoming budget priorities will be, but that he is concerned with the resource and equipment situation of the Customs Agency. Wants a permanent scanner for Eastern Norway Schaug now wants to strengthen the first line, both by the sea and along the country roads. The customs office has been built down over several years, and has a lot to catch up on, she says. – I want to strengthen the dog service and get more scanners. I want stronger boat and container controls and control halls for trailers. This way they can have the vehicle stopped, emptied and checked. – It costs more than 250 million, the whole package. Among the most important things to put in place is a mobile scanner that will only be used in Oslo and in Eastern Norway. Mayor of Oslo, Anne Lindboe, said this summer that criminals use a “little too poorly guarded port to smuggle their filth into Norway”. Photo: news Oslo’s mayor, Anne Lindboe, has also been clear about what she wants for Oslo Harbour. – Several things must be done. The most important thing is that we stop the scum from coming to Norway, she said when she guested on Dagsrevyen this summer. Today, the Port of Oslo has only one mobile scanner. And at times it is on loan to other parts of the country. – Here the government must step in to stop the supply of cocaine, said Lindboe. news has asked the mayor questions about the grant to the Customs Agency, how the funds should be distributed in Oslo and how it will affect criminal networks operating in the city. She doesn’t want to answer. Vedum cannot promise anything. Schaug says that if the Customs Agency is not prioritized, it will burden other parts of society. The free flow of illegal goods costs Norway crazy sums in crime, violence and accidents, she says. Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum writes in an e-mail to news that the Customs Agency has an absolutely crucial role in efforts against drug trafficking and organized crime. Finance Minister Trygve Slagsvold Vedum during the presentation of the state budget for 2025. Photo: Cicilie Sigrid Andersen / news – They will be better equipped to uncover smuggling, which in turn contributes to the fight against criminal networks, he writes. But he cannot promise an increase in the allocations to the Customs Agency in the years ahead. – I cannot advance future budget priorities. I am concerned with the resource and equipment situation of the Customs Agency. NOK 250 million represents an increase of almost 12 per cent of the agency’s budget in 2024 and I expect that the agency will use the resources well. Published 14.10.2024, at 07.40
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The Norwegian Customs Union is satisfied with the allocation in the state budget – Greater Oslo
