Minister says no police cuts planned but leaves rural guarantee open

Justice Minister Þorbjörg Sigríður Gunnlaugsdóttir says a planned merger of police districts will not reduce the number of officers or police stations, but she did not say whether the government would guarantee staffing levels in individual communities by law, mbl.is reported.

Stefán Vagn Stefánsson, a Progressive Party MP, raised concerns in parliament that the merger could lead to fewer officers in smaller communities in the Northwest constituency, move investigative units to larger towns and weaken public services and safety. He asked how the government would ensure that the number of officers based in rural areas remained at least at its current level.

Gunnlaugsdóttir said the merger was intended to strengthen the police so they could handle increasingly complex tasks. She said draft legislation would be published on the government’s consultation portal either that day or the following day.

After Stefán said she had not answered his question, he asked whether minimum staffing levels could be set in law. The minister pointed to a provision in a separate bill to merge district commissioners’ offices, requiring 65 percent of jobs to be based outside the capital region. She said this showed that legislation could ensure jobs were distributed around the country.

Stefán noted that such jobs could be anywhere outside the capital region. The minister replied that “the countryside is in the countryside” but did not say whether she would legally guarantee that police numbers would not fall in particular locations.