The politicians have not been able to agree on a new drug policy, yet much has changed on the streets. The reason is three Supreme Court judgments handed down in April. Now police officers say they no longer know which rules apply. An addict injects a syringe. The picture was taken in Bergen earlier this year. Photo: Marit Sirum-Eikre / news According to the Supreme Court judgments, drug addicts should no longer be punished for keeping small amounts of drugs for their own use. As a result of the verdicts, the Attorney General issued new guidelines for the police on 13 May. They describe how the police should deal with drug addicts who are caught with drugs. This has created uncertainty. The Police Federation believes the guidelines are unclear and says the police now do not know what to do. Fewer people are caught According to figures from the Attorney General’s Office, far fewer fines have been issued for the use and possession of drugs this spring than in the past. This spring, the police nationwide issued only 451 fines for drug offences. In the spring of 2018, 2,245 drug fines were issued. At the same time, everyday life for the police has changed in many ways. A change many of them warn against. Unn Alma Skatvold, leader of the Police Union in conversation with police officers in Oslo. Photo: news – You simply don’t know what to do now to prevent young people and it’s quite depressing, says Unn Alma Skatvold, leader of the Norwegian Police Union. She thinks this is serious. – The consequence is that young people to a greater extent now believe that drugs are legal. You see much more obvious use of drugs among young people and fewer get the health care and help they should have. – What do you end up doing? – You end up turning your back and doing something else because you are afraid of making mistakes. She says the police don’t take the chance to do anything because they are afraid of being reported or hanging out in social media. Unsure of who can be searched The police lawyers also have problems interpreting the Attorney General’s guidelines. Among other things, they will decide whether the police out in the field can take action. Are Skjold-Frykholm, who heads the Politijuristene, also talks about uncertainty in the police. Photo: news – The feedback we get from our members is that many find it demanding to know where the border is, says Are Skjold-Frykholm, head of Politijuristene. He says the police no longer know when they can intervene. – So are we talking about searches among other things? – Yes, searches, urine sampling, physical examinations and more, says Skjold-Frykholm. – What do you end up doing now? – Nothing, he says. He warns against the development. – We are talking about organized crime and masterminds, buying and selling, so I think it is a very sad development. He believes that the politicians must clarify what is law and what is not law. – A bit strange Attorney General Jørn Sigurd Maurud Photo: Thomas Brun / NTB – I understand that I have to spend even more time and energy telling the police what the applicable law is and what I expect them to do – and not do, says Attorney General Jørn Sigurd Maurud. He believes that he has already spent a lot of time on this in the past year. – So I think it’s a bit strange, he says.
ttn-69
Think police officers are unsure of new drug rules – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
