Iceland police call for unified response to organised crime

Iceland is facing growing pressure at its borders from drug trafficking and other crime, a senior police officer told mbl.is, arguing that stronger coordination is needed to combat organised crime.

Stefán Sveinsson, deputy chief superintendent with the Suðurnes Police, said cocaine production and supply had increased in Europe, with the drugs reaching Iceland. The country had become part of Europe’s organised crime landscape, he said.

Last year, police received information that people were expected to travel to Iceland to carry out a serious violent crime for an organised criminal group. Police and customs intelligence led officers to stop four Swedish citizens who had flown to Iceland from three different countries. They were expelled to Sweden, as police believed they had come to commit the offence.

Less than two weeks after the operation, one of the four was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. The group had used a 16-year-old girl to lure the intended victim to a location, where they tried to kill the person with a firearm, Sveinsson said.

He said the case showed the importance of border controls and intelligence sharing between police and customs authorities.

Sveinsson also backed a justice minister’s bill to reduce the number of police agencies, which currently stands at nine. He said consolidating agencies could strengthen their capacity, particularly because organised crime groups move across borders and police jurisdictions.

He said tackling organised crime would require greater specialist expertise and stronger operational capacity, adding that similar consolidation was taking place elsewhere in Europe and in Britain.