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The case in summary This year is the first year that all Norwegian police districts have adopted electroshock weapons. The police have threatened to use electric shock weapons 266 times and used them 163 times in the first three quarters of the year. The electroshock weapon has helped to avoid the use of firearms in several situations, and it is believed that it has saved lives, the police believe. Electroshock weapons were introduced as a trial project in 2019, and will be evaluated in 2026. There are approximately 11,000 weapons in use among the operational patrols in Norway, and all must have training before they can use the weapon. Amnesty Norway believes that electroshock weapons are less lethal, but can cause serious damage, and emphasizes that they must be used with care. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. This year is the first year that all police districts in Norway have adopted electroshock weapons. So far this year, the police have threatened to use stun guns 266 times, and have actually used them 163 times. – I believe with great confidence that I can say that the electroshock weapon has saved lives – and that it will save lives. Many say they would have had to shoot with a sharpshooter if they didn’t have this weapon. That’s what Espen Dahlen-Lervåg says, who is responsible for the subject at the Police Academy in Stavern. Electroshock weapon * Was adopted in 2019 in a trial project by the police in Norway * All police districts have adopted and received the weapon in 2024. * The weapon fires two arrows. The arrows have small wires that carry electricity. The current puts the person out of action because it cannot control the muscle mass. The person becomes paralyzed and falls. * Electroshock weapons can also be used directly against the body and then send electricity between two points on the weapon. In this way, a person receives shocks of electricity and pain. * The weapon that the police in Norway use today has seven arrows. Every patrol in Norway must be equipped with one weapon. The police are also investigating whether to buy the next version which has 14 arrows that can be fired at up to 14 metres. * There are no registered deaths or many serious injuries in the Nordics from the use of electroshock weapons. * Electroshock weapons can be used when the police perceive that a serious injury could occur if the weapon is not used. * It is illegal to own or use such a weapon in Norway. Source: The police Avoid firearms Police Superintendent Thomas Lande is an instructor for the police in Southern Norway. He says that they have had several assignments where electroshock weapons have been used. Police Superintendent Thomas Lande in the Agder police district says that the weapon has, among other things, been used in knife threats against the police. Photo: Lars Eie / news – Earlier this year we were met by a person who came towards us with a knife. The mission was solved with the person being shot with an electroshock weapon. That way we got control and didn’t have to use a sharp weapon, says Lande. – What would the alternative have been without electroshock weapons? – In the worst case, we would have had to use firearms to gain control of the situation. The electroshock weapon has several possibilities. It can shoot arrows that provide electricity, but also deal shock directly from the weapon. Then it sparks from the weapon. – It has a deterrent effect. Often people refrain from doing anything more then. I think that the service people are happy to also have a less lethal weapon that they see works well, says Lande. In an emergency, the police can have small margins when deciding whether to fire shots. The person must have been warned in advance. If the person then chooses to attack, they risk being shot with a sharp weapon. With the electric shock weapon, both the risk of injury and death is significantly less than with a sharp weapon. Paralyzes the muscles Electroshock weapons were introduced as a trial project in 2019, and will be evaluated in 2026. The police have threatened to use electroshock weapons nearly 300 times this year. Photo: Philip Hofgaard / news At the Police Academy in Stavern, he demonstrates how it works. The arrows from the weapon send 50,000 volts through the wires. Today they hit a practice board. When they hit a human their muscles are paralyzed. The person who is hit is thus unable to do anything. news has obtained figures from the Norwegian Police Directorate for the use of stun guns and firearms in 2023 and so far in 2024. They show that: So far this year, stun guns have been used 163 times compared to around 105 last year. In comparison, firearms were used 7 times from January to November this year. In the whole of 2023, it was used 15 times. Espen Dahlen-Lervåg tests the electroshock weapon against a blackboard at the Police Academy in Stavern. Photo: Philip Hofgaard / news There are around 1,100 weapons out now among the operational patrols in Norway. Everyone must have training before they can use the weapon. – Finland has well over twice as many in use compared to Norway, says Espen Dahlen-Lervåg. In the table below, you can see an overview of the threat of use and actual use of electroshock weapons at each police district up to the third quarter of this year. Subject manager Espen Dahlen-Lervåg at the Police College in Stavern believes the danger potential is less than many people think. – We have had no direct injuries when using the weapon. But we have secondary damage. It may be that the person is injured in, for example, a fall after being shot with an electric shock weapon. He says that there have been fractures after falls, but no deaths in the Nordic region. Amnesty: – Must be used with care Gerald Folkvord in Amnesty Norway has followed the trial project of electroshock weapons with the police in Norway. He thinks the training is good. Gerald Folkvord is political advisor at Amnesty Norway. Photo: Frida Marie Grande Amnesty believes that this weapon is less lethal, but can cause serious injuries. According to the organisation, people in other countries have died as a result of use. – After what we have seen so far in Norway, it is our impression that the police in Norway use it in a good way, says Folkvord. He says that Amnesty is not in principle against the use of electroshock weapons in Norway. – It must be used with care. The weapon must not be used to make the police’s job easier. And it must only be used in situations where there is a danger to life and health. Published 17.12.2024, at 13.03
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