Wedding fever has subsided in both Ålesund and Geiranger. It was at the end of August that Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett celebrated their wedding three days to the end. The party started in Ålesund and ended with a big wedding in Geiranger. And with over 300 guests, both royal doctors and celebrities, the police had to help ensure that everything went safely. At least half a million in costs In a press release, the police in Møre and Romsdal are now detailing some of the costs they had associated with the wedding. According to the police, part of the total costs are still missing. What they know as of now is that they have expenses of around NOK 500,000 for food and accommodation in Geiranger. In addition, they have around NOK 50,000 in material costs for the assignment as a whole. The police state that the majority of their expenses are linked to the fact that they had to have personnel present in Geiranger all weekend. There will naturally be building costs, they say. Chief of staff in the Møre and Romsdal police district, Hans-Martin Gridseth. Photo: Hans-Olav Landsverk / news – Those who know Geiranger know that the distances do not facilitate commuting. It has been important for us to plan as best as possible for our employees, so that the assignment is completed as smoothly as possible and the burden is minimal. This explains the chief of staff in Møre and Romsdal police district, Hans-Martin Gridseth. – We do not wish to speculate on what we think the total costs will be and will refer to the final sum when it is ready, says the chief of staff. Gave an estimate of three million The police’s mission during the wedding party was mainly related to the guests who had a right to be protected, and to ensure their participation so that they had a safe and good experience. The security related to the event was up to the organizer. In addition, it was also part of the police’s duties to take care of law and order and traffic services. It was expected that there would be many people in Geiranger during the wedding. The police state that at an early stage in the planning they examined the possibilities of central funding with the Directorate of Police. The police then gave an estimate of up to three million kroner. – The reason was that this would be an extraordinary assignment for the police district, but we have nevertheless, throughout the entire planning phase, been prepared to cover the costs within our own framework, Gridseth explains. Uncertain how much it will cost Furthermore, the police say that it will take some time before they have the final overview of the costs associated with the mission. – As of today, a significant part of the cost picture is not clear, and it will not be until the accounting is ready. It specifically applies to salary costs, which are the largest item of expenditure linked to the assignment. It is expected that this will be ready in mid-October. The police in Møre and Romsdal provided personnel during the wedding. Photo: Remi Sagen / news The police in Møre and Romsdal mainly used their own personnel during the wedding celebration. In addition, there were personnel from national resources, including employees of the police bomb squad. – This leads to an increase in labor costs as we use our own personnel Not only for the weekend itself when we carried out the assignment, but also for a certain period of time before and after, says Gridseth. At the same time, he emphasizes that a prerequisite for using personnel from one’s own district has been to ensure the necessary preparedness for the residents of the entire police district; before, during and after the event. Will not comment on details The police’s security service (PST) also had a central role during the three-day wedding celebration. The Royal Palace has its own lifeguard service, The Royal Police Escort, which has been part of PST since 2022. During the wedding, news’s journalists saw that PST was involved in transporting Princess Märtha Louise and Durek Verrett between several locations. Senior adviser in PST, Eirik Veum, says the following about the case. – PST does not wish to comment on the details of our mission at Sunnmøre, how we carried out the mission or what measures were implemented. PST, through the Royal Police Escort, solved the work tasks in the usual way. Senior adviser in PST, Eirik Veum. Photo: Marius Christensen / news He further says that the Royal Police Escort performs bodyguard and close security tasks for the royal household and members of the royal family. – These are people who need security based on threat assessments, says Veum. PST will not answer all the questions from news in this case. Among other things, they do not directly answer questions about whether PST provides services above the entire royal family, and what assessments they make with regard to persons who are close to the royal family or the royal house, without directly being part of it. Published 19.09.2024, at 10.14 Updated 19.09.2024, at 10.52
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The police spent half a million on board and lodging during the princess wedding
