Iceland sets new direction for police work

Iceland’s new law enforcement strategy is intended to give police forces across the country a common approach, Justice Minister Þorbjörg Sigríður Gunnlaugsdóttir told mbl.is after the plan was presented on Wednesday.

The strategy sets priorities including cybercrime, cybersecurity, organised crime, prevention and police officers’ safety. Gunnlaugsdóttir described it as an overall guide to how the government wants police to work, with the central goal of protecting the public.

She said the plan was developed after a group carried out extensive analysis to establish clear procedures. Its approach ranges from building trust with children to taking forceful action against organised criminal groups.

At the launch, Páley Borgþórsdóttir, police chief in Northeast Iceland, discussed officers’ safety. A survey of police officers found that a majority had experienced violence and threats.

Gunnlaugsdóttir said she had heard concerns that officers were increasingly facing threats and that complaints or reports did not lead to cases being pursued. She said the issue warranted investigation. She also agreed that an attack on an officer at work should be viewed as an attack on law enforcement as a whole, not only on the individual.

The minister said a bill to increase penalties for buying sex had been approved at a government meeting and was heading to parliament. She argued that efforts against organised crime should include prostitution, saying people who bring women into Iceland to engage in prostitution also bring in drugs and are linked to other crimes.

Gunnlaugsdóttir said many such cases currently end with fines. The proposed approach would take them through the courts and lead to prosecutions, which she said could deter demand. She also said Reykjavík was becoming known internationally for having a large prostitution market, an image she did not want for the city or the country.