The Oslo police must crack down on violence – ten areas are prioritized

society: – We are concerned about the increase we have seen in youth crime in the past year. And we are particularly concerned about the increase in the use of violence and the carrying of knives, said Oslo’s police chief Ida Melbo Øystese at a press conference in the police station in Greenland on Tuesday morning.

Greenland is one of two areas in the police’s central unit that will be prioritized in the future, like Tøyen.

The Oslo Police District will implement targeted efforts in ten priority areas to contribute to increased safety and prevent crime.

– These areas have been selected on the basis of analyzes of the number of police missions and criminal cases dealing with insecurity-creating crime, the extent of youth crime, visible criminal networks and areas where there is great perceived insecurity among citizens and low trust in the police, says Øystese.

– Additional measures will be put in place in these areas, says the police chief.

The measures put in place in the various areas may vary, but the chief of police points out that the main issue is extra presence with both uniformed and civilian patrols.

The police chief says she cannot say where they will take the money from and what they will prioritize to bring about these changes.

– I do not want to increase the vulnerability in other parts of the business by making it public knowledge. We are also not going to go into detail about the budget and the number of police officers, she says.

– More money will come. We will present a revised national budget in a couple of weeks and will have to come back to how much is involved then, says Mehl.

She says the government will continue to work with even more measures to overcome crime.

– But now a package is coming from the Oslo police which is a direct response to the needs that have been identified. It is built on knowledge, and I am proud of and grateful that the police react so actively and proactively after a period where I think many people both here in Oslo and elsewhere in Norway have followed what is happening and felt that this is not absolutely fine, says Mehl.

In the police unit west, the priority areas are Majorstuen, Sandvika and Asker centre, while in the east it is Furuset, Mortensrud, Bjørnerud, Veitvet and Bjørndal.

Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp) promises that the government will provide funds, but that it is currently unclear how much.

(© NTB)