Serious cases dropped due to capacity problems at the police in Innlandet – NRK Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio

– This is a case where a person reported their former spouse for violence in close relationships, both towards themselves and towards two shared children.

At the office of assistance lawyer Elisabeth Viken in Hamar is full of documents.

The case Viken shows, which is about both physical, psychological and sexual violence, was reported in August last year. In February, it was dropped on the evidence stand.

Viken believes the case was dismissed without further investigation.

– And where they didn’t even choose to question the children, she says.

This is just one of many cases that the police have not prioritized recently.

Critical situation

The police in the interior are experiencing strong pressure due to several murder cases.

– It is critical. All of our resources go into investigating murders. This means that we do not get to investigate other priority cases, such as violence in close relationships and rape, said Johan Brekke, chief of police in Innlandet police district to NRK recently.

During the first four months of the year, the police in the interior have dismissed as many cases due to a lack of capacity, as was done in the whole of 2022 and 2023, respectively.

The overview shows closures in cases at individual level, i.e. in cases where one or more people are being investigated. We have highlighted the reason codes that may indicate a lack of capacity at the police:

Since October, nine people have been killed in this one county alone.

A suspicious death in Åsnes cannot be prioritized either. The police announced this at the beginning of April.

The preliminary autopsy report showed that the man probably died from extensive head injuries.

The injuries may be caused by a fall, but the police cannot rule out that something criminal has happened.

– The piles of cases have never been so large

The Inland police district does not have the capacity to investigate the most serious cases that are not murders, which are typically family violence and matters of moralityconfirms the head of Politijuristene, the union for prosecuting lawyers, Julie Dalsveen.

– The piles of cases have never been as large as they are now and they have not contained as large a proportion of serious cases as they do now. And this is increasing, she says, adding:

– Other serious cases are pending and may have to be dropped.

Dalsveen says that the prosecuting lawyers experience more pressure than before both from defenders, legal aid lawyers, the court and the media because the cases do not receive good enough treatment.

The prosecuting attorneys are increasingly working overtime to handle the cases, she says.

– Several of these cases are left before an investigation is initiated, and the investigation takes longer. In practice, this applies to victims and accused persons who are waiting for progress in their cases. As the situation is now, the police district is not equipped to do the job we are set to do.

Wants strengthened capacity

Dalsveen believes it gets worse year by year.

The police have cut nearly 40 positions to save money. In addition, it has been decided that the police district must reduce the number of prosecuting lawyers by 10 per cent.

She believes the district needs more money to balance both in terms of personnel and finances.

Johan Martin Welhaven, head of the Joint Prosecution Unit, confirms that the police district is in an extra demanding situation now.

– We are forced to also have to drop cases that concern more serious offences, he says in an e-mail to NRK.

– What is needed to remedy the development?

– Strengthened capacity with more investigators and prosecuting attorneys.

When asked by NRK about the case referred to by public prosecutor Viken, Welhaven says that they do not want to comment on individual cases, and that this is also under appeal processing.

Takes a lot of effort to review

Before all the murders hit the Innlandet police district, Viken has experienced that the cases have been investigated more widely before the case is decided to be dismissed.

Viken says it is difficult for her clients to understand why it takes so long, or why the cases are dropped.

– The fact that you are not prioritized by the police does something to the trust in the police. It also does something to the courage to go to a review, which is a serious step for many.

There is a long waiting time to report new conditions, says Elisabeth Viken on behalf of her clients.

She often deals with cases involving abuse in close relationships or rape. The last cases she has had now are rapes.

– Girls have mobilized a lot of energy to take the step of reporting. Then there has been a waiting time of up to three to four weeks to come in and get an appointment, which is very taxing, she says.

It usually takes one to two weeks to deliver a review, she says.

On Monday, police chief Johan Brekke from the Innlandet police district met with the Norwegian Police Directorate to discuss capacity challenges and the consequences of the many murder cases and other serious cases in the Innlandet.

– We have communicated the situation in the interior, and I expect that there will be some follow-up from the Norwegian Police Directorate afterwards, says Brekke.

However, economic frameworks were not the topic of the meeting, he says.

– If not financially, what kind of follow-up?

– No, there may be other professional follow-up. Otherwise, we have received good assistance from the districts around us. Kripos has been central, so to the extent that we should get new, serious cases, we have the opportunity to get assistance from others.

Until then, the employees must concentrate on distributing the tasks as best as possible, and simply put matters on hold due to tough priorities, confirms Brekke.

– We cannot advance the outcome of the meeting, but we see and have great understanding that Innlandet is now in an extraordinary and demanding situation, acting department director Hallvard Holm Brenna wrote to NRK in an e-mail before the meeting.