What lies behind this experiment? According to Jørn Schjelderup, deputy chief of police at the Norwegian Police Directorate, the answer is simple: Norway's police had armed themselves only after a threat assessment in October 2014 found that a terrorist attack was "likely to happen" in Norway within the next 12 months. In October 2015, a new assessment suggested that the threat was no longer likely, but after the attacks in Paris in November a decision was made to temporarily extend the arming of police.

AD

AD

Now, with a lowered threat assessment, the police are returning to their normal policy, which involves keeping weapons locked inside their vehicles.

Historically, the use of firearms by police officers in Norway has been remarkably rare. Officers began keeping weapons locked in their vehicles only in 2013, Schjelderup said, though some departments have kept weapons in their vehicles since around 2000 or so. The chart below shows the number of times police officers actually fired shots between 2002 and 2014. It peaks at six shots in 2010.

And this chart shows the number of actual deaths from police shootings in the same period. Yes, it's a grand total of two.

AD

While Norwegian police officers were armed for the past year, Schjelderup says there was no increase in the number of incidents involving police firearms over the year. "Police use of weapons, and threats of use of weapons, is very similar to the same level as before the armament," he told WorldViews.

AD

There were some accidents involving the more widespread use of firearms, Schjelderup explained, though not as many as you might expect.

"We have experienced cases of accidental firing, both as result of disarmament after duty, maintenance of weapon, loading and when officers have been doing weapons training," he said. "However the total amount is considered relatively low compared to the total amount of weapons handling being done every single day." (Most accidental discharges came when officers were disarming themselves, Schjelderup said.)

AD

Schjelderup credited the high levels of training the Norwegian police officers are given for their restraint when using the weapons. Every officer in service must undertake weapons training and tactical training involving firearms for at least 48 hours every year. For the Police Response Units (the Norwegian equivalent of SWAT teams), the expectations are higher: 103 hours a year.

AD

It's worth noting, too, that gun ownership is restricted in Norway. But a culture of hunting and sports shooting means there is a relatively large number of firearms among the general public in the country (academic studies have suggested that Norway is just outside the top 10 in the ranking of countries by firearms per capita).

Perhaps the biggest question for readers from America and other countries where police officers are armed is whether any teachable lessons have been learned from this experiment of arming and then disarming police officers. That's hard to say.

AD

The experience has certainly sparked a debate within Norway about the merits of arming police officers. Odd Reidar Humlegård, Norway's National Police commissioner, recently told Nettavisen, an online Norwegian newspaper, that he felt arming police officers had been a "valuable experience" and that he hoped there would be a "thorough review of the pros and cons of armed or unarmed police."

AD

Officially, Humlegård and the Norwegian Police Directorate are opposed to arming police officers. On the other hand, Norway's police union, which represents the majority of officers in the country, has come out in support of it.

According to Schjelderup, it's ultimately a political decision. "If the Parliament decides different, Norwegian Police will comply to that," he said.