Guðlaugur Þór accuses government of neglecting security and defence

MP Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson says the government has no genuine interest in security and defence, pointing to the condition of the National Police Commissioner’s special unit and its vehicles, mbl.is reports.

Morgunblaðið reported that the unit’s vehicle fleet urgently needs replacing because of heavy use, breakdowns and the vehicles’ age. Guðlaugur Þór said the report was further evidence that essential services were being neglected.

He said lawmakers had waited a year for information about defence spending, and that what they received amounted at best to a table of contents. He also cited unfilled authorised positions, special unit officers using their own cars for callouts and vehicles having to be collected from museums.

Guðlaugur Þór said the government had spoken of strengthening security and defence, but argued that its actions did not match its words. He said other countries were placing greater emphasis on the field and called the situation a serious concern.

He accused the government of lacking both understanding and a strategy, and said it had focused its efforts on persuading the public to join the European Union. In his view, security and defence had been raised only because the subjects suited that debate, with little action to follow.