– We in the Oslo police district are now implementing targeted efforts in priority areas to contribute to increased security and to prevent crime.
This is what Oslo police chief Ida Melbo Øystese says at a press conference on Tuesday morning.
These areas are prioritized by the police:
- Center unit: Greenland and Tøyen
- Unit west: Majorstuen, Sandvika and Asker centre.
- Unit east: Furuset, Mortensrud/Bjørnerud, Veitvet and Bjørndal.
These are the areas the police will prioritize going forward.
Which measures are put in place in the various areas may vary, according to the police, but overall they plan for extra presence.
It will strengthen efforts against criminal networks and actors. They will also prioritize investigation and follow-up of children and young people who commit or are exposed to crime.
In addition to the police, Justice and Emergency Services Minister Emilie Enger Mehl and Labor and Inclusion Minister Tonje Brenna are also at the press conference.
– We are going to open the neighborhood police department. So they are establishing a separate unit that will work specifically for Greenland, says Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl.
Several serious incidents of violence
In the last two weeks, there have been at least 13 serious incidents of violence. Firearms were used in three of them.
On Saturday, a man was shot at a kebab restaurant in Greenland.
The man, who is in his early 20s, suffered serious injuries. So far, no one has been caught after the shooting.
In a report from the neighborhood police in Greenland, which VG has seen, the police write that criminals operate freely in the area.
– I understand well that the citizens can feel concern. We take that seriously, says Oslo police chief Ida Melbo Øystese.
Police chief in Oslo, Ida Melbo Øystese, says that children and young people who commit crimes are followed up by the police and child welfare services.
Photo: Nadir Alam / NRK
The initiative from the police is based on an area analysis, and on a security survey among the residents of Oslo, Asker and Bærum.
The police chief believes that after several decades of a decline in crime, things are now going the wrong way.
She is particularly concerned about the increase in crime among young people in the past year, the use of violence and the carrying of knives.
A separate, small police station in Greenland
The Minister of Justice says they want a dedicated effort in the area around Greenland, and that this is done as an extension of the community police patrol that was established last year.
– For the government, it is extremely important to get the police out of the house and onto the streets. For example, they have been out and talked to shop owners and people in Greenland, and got quite a lot of information, says Mehl.
This information indicates that Greenland is perceived to be much more unsafe than they have been aware of until now.
Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl says they want to strengthen efforts in Greenland in Oslo.
Photo: Nadir Alam / NRK
– The police are there for all of us, it symbolizes trust, respect and an open society. This must also be the case for the inhabitants of Greenland, she says, and adds:
– You can see it as a separate, small police station.
In the revised budget, they have already notified NOK 675 million extra to the police.
Do not trust the capacity of the police
In a new survey from NHO, one in three Oslo businesses say that they do not trust the police to be able to follow up on criminal acts.
That every third business owner in Oslo trusts that the police have the capacity to follow up on incidents worries NHO.
Photo: Nadir Alam / NRK
– Business owners feel that the police have no control. They experience threats and direct confrontations. Crime has come much closer to them.
This is what regional director of NHO Viken Oslo Vegard Eian says to NRK.
The survey reveals that 18 per cent do not trust the police to have the capacity to follow up on incidents that occur. 15 percent say they are unsure.
