Iceland considers national unit to investigate organised crime
Wednesday 28th October 2026 on 13:31 in
Iceland
Iceland is considering a national unit to investigate organised crime, as active criminal groups have doubled in number and police face growing challenges, according to a law enforcement plan reported by mbl.is.
The plan for 2027 to 2031 says organised crime in Iceland has worsened sharply in recent years. It proposes increasing the number of police officers by 200, while warning that police lack sufficient capacity to respond and investigate cybercrime and serious financial offences.
The plan describes criminals waiting outside police officers’ homes and says there are indications that criminal groups pay others to carry out violence and exploit vulnerable people, including children. Reports by the National Commissioner of Police’s analysis department show the number of active criminal groups rose from about 10 in 2015 to about 20.
Proposed unit would be established in 2031
The plan recommends examining the creation of a national unit responsible for investigating organised crime. Preparations are scheduled for 2028, with the unit’s establishment planned for 2031.
It says law enforcement authorities in northern Europe have increasingly assigned responsibility for such investigations to a single national unit. Iceland’s current fragmented police structure can struggle to keep pace with mobile criminal groups and may hinder investigations, the plan says.
A survey of police managers and investigators in Iceland found strong support for a national unit, with the current arrangement viewed as a constraint. The plan says local police forces should retain specialist expertise and maintain strong links to investigations in their districts. It does not specify which police authority the proposed unit would report to.
The plan was prepared by a steering group appointed by the justice minister in February. Its representatives visited all police forces, the District Prosecutor’s Office and the State Prosecutor’s Office, and consulted police partners. The plan was presented at the Hilton Reykjavík on Wednesday morning.