First, the investigation of the links between the Police Directorate and NNPF was to be investigated internally. Then they were to be examined externally, while the Police Directorate reduced the committee and the mandate.
The directorate has now decided to ask the Ministry of Justice to appoint a mandate and committee in the investigation. This is stated by the directorate in a press release.
“In light of recent movements in the case, the director of police now wants to lift these two tasks away from the POD as well. The decision comes after a period where questions are still being asked about the directorate’s impartiality “, the report states.
NRK
explains
This is the NNPF case
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What is NNPF?
The Norwegian Narcotics Police Association (NNPF) describes itself as a drug policy. The organization consists mainly of employees in the police, but also employees in the Customs, the Armed Forces, the prosecuting authority, the Prison and Probation Service and others can be members of the organization.
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Is NNPF part of the police?
Both the Police Directorate and NNPF say that they have no formal connection to each other. At the same time, NRK has mentioned that the Police Directorate between 2001 and 2018 has provided financial support to the association in addition to the subsidy schemes managed by the directorate.
The police have also deducted the membership fee for NNPF members directly from the police salary. It is a scheme experts say is usually reserved for unions. NNPF is not a trade union.
Several media houses have also mentioned the organization’s cooperation with municipalities, the nightlife industry and the police in several places in the country. Some industry people who were part of the controversial nightlife agreements have said that they did not always understand the difference between the police and the NNPF.
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What do the police say about this?
The police have now decided that they will investigate the ties between themselves and the NNPF. At first, the Police Directorate said that the investigation would be internal, but after pressure from critics, the investigation was done externally.
The committee’s mandate and members have not yet been decided. But after even more pressure, the Police Directorate decided to ask the Ministry of Justice to appoint the committee members, and decide their mandate.
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What do politicians say about this?
The parties that were in favor of the drug reform think that the drug reform should be reconsidered, partly due to the NNPF scandal. This includes Left, MDG, Right, Red and SV. These parties also believe that the NNPF should change its name so that they no longer have police in their name.
The Center Party and the Progress Party believe this is a disk boom. Former Minister of Justice Per Willy Amundsen (Frp) thinks the Liberals appear to be bad losers when they ask for the reform to be reconsidered.
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In the report, Police Director Benedicte Bjørnland says that she believes the Police Directorate is capable of setting up the committee itself.
– We are dependent on trust – it is crucial that no questions are asked about the review that will now be done, comments Police Director Benedicte Bjørnland.
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Several politicians have called for the NNPF to change its name, and called for the drug reform to be reconsidered, in light of recent cases concerning the relationship between the Norwegian Narcotics Police Association and the police.
Others defend the organization, and believes the police are forced to the investigation.
The background for the investigation is, among other things, the amounts The Norwegian Police Directorate has allocated NNPF over its own budget, as well as allegations of role mix among police officers who are NNPF members.
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The practice of deducting the membership fee directly from the police salary, which NRK mentioned earlier in July, has been stopped in connection with the investigation.
– It is gratifying to see that the Police Directorate is now in favor of a completely independent investigation and that political responsibility is taken to design the mandate and appoint members to an investigation commission, says associate professor Katrine Holter at the Police Academy to NRK.
Requests that the investigation include coercion
She believes it testifies that the directorate takes the criticism that has come very seriously:
– It would be unfortunate for everyone, especially the police themselves, if the results of an investigation could have been accused of being a commissioned work.
Holter believes the debate that arose this spring about police use of coercion in drug cases, provides a basis for the investigation to have a broad mandate.
– Since the Attorney General has found reason to ask the public prosecutors to conduct investigations into the use of coercive measures internally, it would now be natural for this to be looked at with external eyes as well. The police’s search practice should therefore be seen in connection with collusion between the police and NNPF, says Holter.
Liberal politician Ola Elvestuen believes it is important that the independence of the investigation cannot be questioned. Therefore, he believes it is good that the Ministry of Justice formulates the mandate.
– We must have a full review of the collusion that has taken place between NNPF and the police. Then I do not think I should set the mandate. It is important that it is independent, and done in a thorough way that has the necessary legitimacy, says Elvestuen.
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