Norway’s police districts are being consolidated and streamlined, with state Police Director Odd Reidar Humlegård announcing on Wednesday where the new bases of operations will be located. He said he could understand that some cities and towns that thought they’d be chosen are now disappointed.
“It’s important to say that even though the choices have been made, it won’t mean much for the public outside the ranks of the police,” Humlegård said during a press conference on Wednesday.
From January 1, Norway’s 27 police districts will be merged and consolidated down to 12. Starting in the north, the new Finnmark Police District will be located i Kirkenes, the Troms district will be located in Tromsø and the Nordland district will be operated from Bodø.
The new Trøndelag Police District, merging Nord- and Sør-Trøndelag, will be based in Trondheim. Ålesund will be the base for Møre og Romsdal and Bergen for the new police district called “Vest” (West), while the new “Sør-Vest” (Southwest) district will be based in Stavanger.
The Agder district will be based in Kristiansand while the new Sør-Øst (Southeast) district will be in Tønsberg, not Drammen as initially proposed. Hamar will be the base for the new Innlandet Police District, instead of Lillehammer or Gjøvik, while Ski will be the base for the new Øst (East) district. Oslo will remain the base for the Oslo Police District.
newsinenglish.no staff
