– The proof-of-receipt regime at identity checks is one of the measures to be tested to increase public trust, interim police chief Cecilie Lilaas-Skari says.
He points out that personal checks are an important tool in police work, but at the same time states:
– Even if they are necessary and legal, they may be perceived as unfair by some of those who are controlled.
For nine months, the Oslo police have to print a receipt to anyone stopped and checked by the police. It must ensure that the police record and document the checks of people according to current legislation.
The goal of the program is to build public confidence in the police. A recent Ipsos poll found that trust in the police has declined.
In the survey, the forces of order fall from first to third place in the category “underlying bodies”, while they end up in tenth place among “companies and public bodies”.
It will record and publish the use of force by the police
Must justify the check
The scheme is part of a pilot project that aims to prevent checks on people being perceived as unjustified or discriminatory, police said in a statement. Press release.
As much as possible, the police must justify why they stopped and checked someone within a specific area in central Oslo.
It is up to the individual whether or not they wish to receive a receipt if offered. In any case, the check will be recorded in their own police systems.
NEW FOR EVERYONE: Acting Chief of Police Cecilie Lilaas-Skari received training on the new programme. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB
sea View
However, some types of police encounters do qualify Not to the right of the receipt:
- Voluntary talks and other public meetings
- Pre-programmed traffic checks
- Collective measures according to police law (e.g. expulsion in case of gatherings)
- Border control
- Events where evacuation is carried out, for example fire
Disagreements
The question of whether a receipt scheme is actually the solution to the problem of trust in the police has been controversial. It is the Storting that has decided that the Oslo police will introduce a procedural scheme.
While several parties were positive, the Conservative Party and Progressive Party among others were critical.
– My concern and that of the FRP is that the police in practice refuse to carry out the necessary checks and find out less than those who actually walk around with a knife, said city council representative for the FRP Lars-Petter Solås at The newspaper i september.
Conservative politician Sveinung Stensland was also skeptical. In front of VG he has previously said that the scheme appears to be a comprehensive and ineffective measure, which will lead to more bureaucracy and misuse of time.
