Police drown in abuse – Rape investigation against adults postponed

In June, the intelligence and investigation department of the Oslo Police District organized 37 so-called organized interrogations for children and vulnerable people
There is more than one question the day and almost all are related to sexual abuse.

– This is only for my device, so the number for Oslo is much higher, says Grete Link Metlid, chief of intelligence and investigation at the Oslo Police District.

And they are far away

There are no clear figures

– On average, we had 113 organized interviews of children and vulnerable people each month up to present this year, says Tommy Brøske, head of intelligence and investigations at the East Police District. Some of these hearings and cases have already been reviewed because the police found no criminal offenses.
Since many of the cases are still under investigation, there are no clear figures on or more of these hearings and cases

– We must also remember that there may be more issues related to a case, interviewed by witnesses, among other things, so the number of questions asked is not the same as the number of cases, says Metlid.

Are there many of these cases where it is not proven that there was something criminal?

– I do not have numbers now, but I have the impression that it does not apply to a lot of cases. Brøske

Strong increase

Child interrogations up to the age of three years and other vulnerable people must be carried out at the House of State Children .
This is an offer for children and adolescents who have been exposed or witnesses to violence or sexual assault,

In January, TV2 said that more and more children were victims of sexual abuse.

One-third of sexual abuse reported in 2017 involved children.
This is 14-year-old rape and sex, which increase the most, from 2016, and last year it rose 18.4 percent.

– There are fewer black numbers today than a few years ago, says Metlid.

She thinks that this increase is due to the fact that children and young people are now available in a completely different way than in the past.

– Notably, the development of Internet-related abuse has resulted in a new scene where children and youth are also available and have increased

Police struggle to recruit investigators to work on sexual assault against children.
Now they are trying to pay more to have enough people. working on this priority area

– We must at least have dozens of investigators at once, and it is important that we make ourselves attractive and that we offer more pay, "says Metlid.

Metlid says that the competition for experienced investigators in eastern Norway is difficult and that she supports her colleague in the East Police District

– There There are many who are fighting for the same resources, says Brøske

– Why is it so hard to get people into these positions?

– There are many reasons, but there is a lot of pressure at work and a demanding discipline

Rape is far exceeded

Much of the reason for this great workload is also due to the fact that in 2015 there was a legislative amendment that imposes strict requirements as to the expected date of hearing.

One is that these hearings will take place in one to three weeks

This job takes so much time that it goes beyond the other issues accepted by police chiefs.

– This is at the expense of other sexual assaults Brøske

Although the East Police District is among the poorest to meet deadlines associated with organized interrogation of children and vulnerable people, Oslo is growing at the top. Metlid admits that it costs …

– We fear that this is not limited to the investigation of cases of rape with adults, so it is very important that we now enter more investigators. Metlid.