Justice Minister Anders Anundsen has extended his provisional order allowing Norwegian police to carry weapons by another eight weeks. The police themselves wanted the extension until August 2.
Nearly 6,000 police officers in Norway have been armed since Anundsen issued what he called a “temporary” allowance last autumn after the threat of terror was heightened. He noted in Parliament this week that there since have been terrorist attacks in Paris, Denmark, Canada and Tunisia.
“The situation is no less serious now than it was half-a-year ago,” Anundsen said. Opposition Members of Parliament nonetheless challenged him over how long his “temporary” allowance for arming would last, even though they also have criticized his ministry and others after the state auditor general claimed Norway’s preparedness for terrorist attacks had not improved.
newsinenglish.no staff
