Minister of Justice and Emergency Preparedness, Minister of Justice | The Minister of Justice has responded to the police concern from Telemark:

Minister of Justice and Emergency Preparedness, Minister of Justice | The Minister of Justice has responded to the police concern from Telemark: – I find this extremely serious

Bård Hoksrud (Fremskrittspartiet) says it to TA. He also reacts to the fact that earlier this year the police received NOK 635 million without this seeming to translate into positions; this spring, two out of six operative positions in the police’s preventive unit in Grenland were cut.

It was on 12 April that Hoksrud submitted his question about obtaining an overview of the number of employees in the police in Telemark.

Warning light

– I had of course hoped that the figures would give insight so far in 2024, but the information makes the warning lights flash anyway, says Hoksrud.

He notes that Grenland police station is listed with 266 full-time employees at the end of 2023, compared to 278 in 2022.

– This is not good at all, the police need more resources. And cutting preventive measures when crime is increasing is, to put it mildly, not a good thing.

Positive Minister of Justice

For her part, Minister for Justice and Emergency Emilie Mehl highlights the development for the entire county from 2021 to 2023 – which she believes is positive. It shows that Telemark had a total of 357 police man-years in 2021, the figure was 381 in 2023. However, it must be mentioned that the figure for 2022 was 403.

She adds in her reply to Hoksrud:

– I also refer to my previous answers, including to questions no. 1578 and no. 1699, where it appears that the government has announced that it will propose to the Storting a permanent increase of NOK 635 million in connection with the revised national budget 2024. This so that the police can maintain the police staffing as it was at the start of 2024.

– It is important for the government to ensure that the police throughout the country have good framework conditions. The chief of police distributes the resources in his own police district, to ensure the solution of the task in the entire district.

– Not good enough

Åslaug Sem-Jacobsen (Center Party) in the Storting has also become involved in the police challenges.

– I believe, both on the basis of the answer to Hoksrud and the meeting I had with the police last week, that Telemark is still getting too little of its share from the management in the South-East police district. We have additional challenges with the development of crime in Grenland and with the large distances in the districts, which I feel are not reflected well enough in the distribution.

– Also, it is a shame that when the police ask for extra sums to do what the Minister of Justice is asking them to do, which is not to cut positions in the front line, they ask for too low a sum.

– As much as 635 million new millions in the revised state budget is clearly not enough, and if it turns out that it is not a question of wrong prioritization from the Directorate of Police and the management of the South-East police district, then I will work to make that sum even bigger.

Finds it provocative

The deputy mayor of Skien, Helene Røsholt, is not impressed and states this:

– The reference from the Minister of Justice to 635 million in permanent increased funds is, to put it mildly, provocative reading, 480 million of the allocation of 635 goes to cover nationally increased pension expenses and investments in IT structure nationally. Then there are 155 million left to be distributed between the country’s 12 police districts and they were intended to prevent further downsizing in 2024. The budget for 2024 is lower than the consumption in 2023, then those funds are included.

– Annie Sandersen, head of investigation and intelligence at Grenland police station, confirmed in the chairmanship in Skien on Tuesday that they will only be given the capacity to investigate the most serious, and that is critical.

– Since Minister of Justice Mehl became Minister of Justice, there have been over 250 fewer police officers in the districts. In November, only four out of nearly 400 newly graduated police officers had permanent employment.

– Close to 99 per cent of the budget for geographical operating unit Telemark is salary costs, and the only possibility to keep the budget is to reduce the number of employees. In total, there are more than 10 unfilled positions in geographical operating unit Telemark, we will note that. There is a scarcity of resources, and it will unfortunately worsen in 2024.