Police did not separate roles enough – NRK Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country

Committee Chair Anne Mette Magnussen opened by saying that the Norwegian Drug Police Association (NNPF) was professionally important to the police.

– Our main conclusion is that there was not enough separation between the role of the police and that of the NNPF. At the press conference, Magnussen says it’s not a lack of rules and standards, but a lack of compliance with them.

According to her, the commission unanimously behind the main conclusion. I handed the report over to Justice Minister Emily Inger Mehl.

– The police entrusted the responsibility of implementing and organizing training in the field of doping and drugs to a private association. Through the Education Conference, the NNPF took on, and was assigned, the responsibility to develop the skills of police personnel, which the police should have done themselves, says Magnussen.

The committee wrote in the report that skills development in the police should not be “conducted in such a way as to require membership in a special association.”

Here are some key findings of the report:

• the police And Ministry of Justice Payments to the NNPF are not in line with financial regulations
• The police did not focus much on the mixing of roles, and did not check compliance with the rules for acquiring bees
• Membership in the NNPF was sometimes a prerequisite for receiving benefits as a police officer—salary and promotion at the agency were linked to the NNPF’s competency-enhancing measures

One of the committee’s most important recommendations is that police officers be trained on freedom of expression.

– According to the committee, there is a need to enhance the climate of expression in the police.

– The committee noted that some felt uncomfortable participating in the discussion on drug-related issues because of the harsh wording, says Magnussen.

Beware of “police” in association names

The committee also cautions against naming the NNPF – the committee believes that the fact that the organization has ‘polices’ in its name could cause confusion.

The committee wrote in the report that it recommends that associations associated with the police should be aware of this, and take this into account when choosing names.

In May 2021, NRK was able to tell the Norwegian Police Directorate The NNPF granted approximately NOK 3 million from its operating budget In the period 2001-2018.

Magnussen says this is not in line with police financial regulations.

– The committee’s main impression is that the police did not intentionally breach the regulations, but awareness of what rules apply and when the rules are applied was very poor, says Magnussen.

The Ministry of Justice has it too Considering the association’s funds that exceed its operating budget.

SV and Venstre invite Mehl to Parliament

The way the NNPF performs mixed roles as police and lobbyist is a police scandal. Now we have it in black and white, says SV justice policy spokesperson Sjalg Unneland in an email to NRK.

It is believed that the case contributes to the weakening of police confidence.

– I will now call Minister of Justice Mehl in Parliament to explain how she wants to clean this up. I suppose now that the government understands the seriousness of this.

Engfeld and Waitrus Thorsvik of Finster will also ask the Minister of Justice to explain the circumstances.

– Collusion between the National Police Front and the police is a fact. The NNPF was given a lot of control over the development of the expertise the police gained in the drug business. The Minister of Justice and the Norwegian Police Directorate must clarify this immediately, she says in a short message to NRK.

The Rio Users Organization will now properly identify the report, but leader Kenneth Johansen says the panel’s conclusion was as expected.

– Then we note that the committee says that it was not the regulations that were wrong, but rather the lack of awareness and adherence to these rules.

Johansen says they now have clear expectations of Justice Minister Emily Inger Mehl. He understands that it is important to have clear dividing lines between the police and the private political actor:

– If not, it may pose a problem for democracy.

Checked for a year

In May 2021, the Medicines Policy League debate had already raged on Twitter for some time, in the wake of the Medicines Reform controversy that was being dealt with in Parliament during that period.

Throughout the summer, NRK and other media have been able to narrate what critics believe is a mix of roles between the police and the NNPF.

In September of the same year, the then Minister of Justice, Monica Milland, set up a commission for Auditing the relationships between the agency and the organization. This report is now ready.

Initially, the commission was to submit its report after six months. However, work did not begin until the new year in 2022, and information-gathering challenges meant that the commission’s deadline was extended for the rest of the year.

The NNPF initially refused to answer the committee’s questions, but sent written answers to the committee last fall.

In a letter to the Assembly, the Committee on Understanding Roles asked, among other things, questions about: