Incitement and threats against the police are nothing new. But the scope and degree of severity have changed – and for the worse, according to union leader Unn Alma Skatvold in the Norwegian Police Union.
The association organizes around 16,000 employees and students within the police and sheriff’s agency.
TV 2 contacts Skatvold to talk about the incitement and criticism that has come towards the police in the comments section and on social media following the shooting incident in Lavangen.
Shot by the police
On the night of Friday 9 December, Hans Arne Nystad (49) was shot and killed by the police at home on the farm in Lavangen in Troms, after he allegedly drove into a police car with a wheel loader, so that the police car overturned.
The shots in Lavangen:
Hans Arne (49) called for help several times. Then the police shot him
“The one official was sitting in the police car when this happened. The other officer, who had moved out of the police car, fired shots with his service weapon that hit the deceased. A larger number of shots were fired,” says one press release from the Bureau of Police Affairs.
According to TV 2’s knowledge, at least 15 shots must have been fired.
Embossed
Mads Wallerheim from Advokathuset Nord in Finnsnes is the assisting lawyer for the two police officers.
Wallerheim says that the officers are doing well under the circumstances, but that they are still affected by the dramatic incident.
WHEEL LOADER: The picture shows the wheel loader and the police car that were overturned during the incident in Lavangen. Photo: Daniel Fosseng / TV 2
– It is completely human and easy to understand that this is a matter that has naturally occurred to them. But I have the impression that they have received good follow-up from their employer, says the lawyer.
The last time he spoke to the officers was before Christmas. The status then was that they are exempt from police duty, but not suspended.
– That means they can work if they want to, says Wallerheim.
On Monday, it became known that the police will drop the case against the deceased.
– In practice, this means that the case has been put aside and that nothing more happens with it. The grounds for impeachment, that the accused is dead, say nothing about the strength of the suspicion. It only means that the case has been put aside without any further evaluation of the merits, says first lawyer Hugo Henstein Northern Lights.
A lot of hate
Runar Fagerlund is the leader of the Police Union in Troms, and has worked as a police officer for 16-17 years – including as a task leader in Tromsø.
Fagerlund has captured the incitement and criticism that has been directed at the police in various comment fields and on social media following the incident in Lavangen.
There is a lot of speculation and allegations about the course of events and who is responsible for the incident, here is just some of what TV 2 has found:
- “(…) we have a corrupt police, corresponding state, government and general authority”.
- “The Norwegian Food Safety Authority is a tool the State uses diligently against a farmer who does not stand with hua in hand. In Troms they have only got the police to provoke and then execute him”.
- “(…) Fuck the gang of bandits we have as police in this country. Best to get an ISU (armoured/armoured vehicle, journal note) with 5 full magazines”.
FACEBOOK: The post is taken from Facebook. Photo: Screenshot
– There is a lot of incitement and hatred out there?
– Yes, it is. And it’s sad. There are so many unbelievably clever, operative police officers out there who do a fantastic job and who really want to help people – not catch them, says Fagerlund.
– It’s no use watching “Night Patrol”
The experienced police officer understands that there may be reasons to be angry with the police, for example if you have received a punishment that you believe is wrong.
– But it would be wrong to direct criticism at those who are just doing their job, says Fagerlund, who allows himself to be touched by things he reads in the comment fields.
– I get bored and really angry, because I know what they say, he says.
He believes that people who have not worked operationally in the police have no idea what the job entails.
– It’s no use watching “Night Patrol” on TV, it only depicts a fraction of what you have to do, Fagerlund believes.
– Triple
Confederation leader Unn Alma Skatvold in the Police Union does not want to comment on the incident in Lavangen, but confirms that incitement and hatred towards the police has increased significantly in scope and severity,
LEADER: Union leader Unn Alma Skatvold in the Police Union. Photo: Truls Aagedal / TV 2
– There was probably a lot of hatred before as well, but then it came more from the depths of the basement. Now the commentators get and take much more space, because of the internet. We see it in the comment fields and in social media. Anyone can create their own websites and “echo chambers”, says the federation leader.
Recently, she was in Brussels on behalf of EuroCOP to meet EU politicians. Here, the ever-increasing degree of violence against the police was on the agenda.
– This is a tendency that is valid all over Europe, said Skatvold at the union’s meeting website after the meeting.
– From Norway, we were able to report a tripling in the number of cases of violence against the police since 2004. Ten percent of Norwegian police have experienced violence at work in the past year. 18 percent have experienced threats. This is a development we must work to counteract, says the union leader.
Fear
She says her stomach hurts at the thought of police officers who fear for their own safety and that of their families.
– When it is dark in the evening, they draw the curtains to avoid being seen. They avoid social media. An employee experienced being stared down at a shopping center by someone she had investigated, while she stood with her little daughter on her arm, says Skatvold.
HATE: The incitement and hatred is also directed at an inspector who visited the late Hans Arne Nystad’s farm approximately two weeks before 9 December. Photo: Screenshot from Facebook.
The federal leader reminds that the police are police, and not private individuals, when they are at work.
– That is why we are working quite actively to bring about a change in the law that can make it possible to shield the employees’ names in legal proceedings. It is the police who issue an indictment – not the individual.
Skatvold wishes to emphasize that trust in the police in Norway is high, according to citizen and reputation surveys that are carried out regularly on behalf of the police.
– We are world class there. The vast majority have confidence in the police and think they do a good job. However, we have seen a slight decline in the latest surveys that look at trust. We link this, among other things, to the police reform, which has not been successful in all areas, she says.
– The police must be given time
Aid attorney Wallerheim says that he has also picked up comments that are far outside “what is right”.
Lawyer Mads Wallerheim from Advokathuset Nord. Photo: Marius Fiskum
– In addition to my two clients, we also have those left behind by the deceased who I assume also get what is written in the media. No matter how you look at the matter, it is a tragic incident with death as a result, says Wallerheim.
– The media has had broad coverage of the case, and there are many who comment and speculate on what happened. I understand that many people need information. But now the police and the special unit must be given time to do the investigation, then hopefully we will get answers, he says.
