Norway is safer – temporary armament wound – Bergens Tidende

Police officers will no longer be carrying weapons to everyday. The temporary Armament shall be discontinued by Wednesday next week.

The threat level in the country has subsided, and the need for increased armed readiness is therefore no longer present , says Police Directorate on Thursday afternoon. The permit for temporary armament is therefore not extended when the current period is over on Wednesday 3 February.

All response personnel must now return to the general police emergency with prominent storage in vehicles – as it was before the temporary Armament was implemented.

– Police Directorate’s overall academic assessment is that there are no grounds to continue the temporary armament. Therefore we are now going back to the forward storage, said police director Odd Reidar Humlegård.

Extended for Paris

The temporary armament of policemen started a year and two months ago and was justified by increased terror threat level. The scheme was first adopted discontinued in November last year – just hours before gunmen linked to the Islamic state (IS) took 130 lives in Paris.

This led to an unclear and confusing situation, which made temporary armament was extended. Now the situation is clarified, and the police can go back to the forward storage, said POD.

– As police director, I understand that many employees believe that armament is perceived as a necessary tool. We must also deal with the regulations governing the weapon instruction, says Humlegårdsvägen.

Political disputed

The scheme has been politically controversial and attempted restricted including through a proposal for a temporary armament maximum should be able to be maintained for one year.

The proposal, which SV stood behind, was not adopted, but several of the other parties spoke critically about the government and Justice Minister Anders Anundsen (FRP): It is necessary to reduce the need for arming of the police, and Parliament must have co-decision on the question of duration of temporary arrangements, stated the leader of the Justice Committee, Hadia Tajik, this summer.

– The temporary arming of the Norwegian police has been an extraordinary measure that has lasted for over a year. It is good that the threat is no longer so severe, that the country is safer and that this measure is no longer considered necessary, says Tajik NTB today.