Police apologise after armed training exercise startles Vadsø residents

A police training exercise in a Vadsø neighbourhood left residents shocked after armed, masked officers conducted drills without proper notice, local media report.

According to Dagbladet, a resident who witnessed the exercise on Thursday described it as “impressively unprofessional,” stating that officers wore no visible markings and used unmarked private vehicles. The resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said the only warning was a faded sign placed 400 metres away.

“I was at work, but when I received the photos, I rushed over to make sure everyone was safe,” the resident told the newspaper. “It’s the children you think of first—that they might get scared. But it’s also unsettling when armed people appear in your garden.”

The resident added that they had confronted the officers, who later acknowledged the lack of communication. Photos shared with the media show officers in camouflage crawling through bushes and lying prone on the ground.

Stein Hugo Jørgensen, station chief for Varanger police, apologised to local newspaper iFinnmark, admitting the exercise—focused on residential surveillance tactics—had caused unnecessary alarm.

“It’s regrettable that people were worried,” Jørgensen said. “Our intention is to improve our ability to serve the public, but we must ensure our training doesn’t frighten residents.”

The resident told Dagbladet they would not pursue further action, stating that media attention had already served as “punishment enough.”