On Friday, Ida Melbo Øystese (54) was appointed as the new police chief in Oslo. This has led to reactions, because she has previously been a member of the controversial association Norwegian Narcotics Police Association (NNPF).
NNPF fights for a strict line of punishment in drug cases.
In social media, several people ask what signal the Directorate of Police is sending by hiring a new chief of police who is an NNPF member, and who previously has spoken out critically to a drug reform.
To VG, Øyestese says that she is not a member of the NNPF. She says that she opted out two years ago, around the turn of the year 2020/2021.
— I have had a passive membership. Then I experienced that the debate became more and more polarized, and experienced that the membership was taken as income for a much more active political stance than what was my opinion, she says about the reason why she resigned.
When asked if she will get involved in the drug debate in the future, Øysestese replies that this is something she has to come back to.
She has previously written one chronicle in 2019 where she warned against decriminalizing use and possession, writing that it would be depriving the police of one of their most important tools.
She has also spoken critically of the Attorney General’s guidelines on searches in an interview with Police Forum i 2021.
Law professor Hans F. Martiniussen, who is among those who reacted to the appointment on social media, is still strongly critical – and believes it is not relevant that Øyestese has resigned from NNPF.
— She wants to be the police chief in Norway who has most actively engaged in the drug debate. In light of the role understanding committee’s report and the hype that has surrounded NNPF recently, I experience the appointment as a violent provocation.
In January, the Norwegian Police Directorate received a report from a committee that had assessed the ties between the police and the Norwegian Narcotics Police Association. The committee concluded that there had been a mix-up of the roles of the police and the role of a member of the association.
also read: Will fine the police for sharing information about a social debater.
