“It Has Been Important to Strenghten the Norwegian Police Security Service in the North"

"Preparedness in Northern Norway is fundamental – for public security and national security," states Norwegian Minister of Justice and Public Security Emilie Enger Mehl (Center) when High North News meets her during Øvelse Nord [Exercise North] 2023 in Bodø, Northern Norway on Monday.

The exercise is taking place this week at Nord University, during which the participants will practice handling major incidents and crises. This is the country's largest full-scale cooperative preparedness exercise.

"In Northern Norway, as in the rest of the country, we are dependent on satisfactory preparedness in order to live good and safe lives. And we also need to consider the strategic significance that Northern Norway has in the changed security policy situation," she adds.

The Norwegian Police Security Service has previously pointed out that the High North and Svalbard specifically have been areas of focus for Russia over time.

"We consider these as even more important now that tension is rising. The proximity to the Russian border, as well as the Svalbard archipelago, makes the High North of strategic importance," said Hedvig Moe, deputy head of the Norwegian Police Security Service, about the intelligence threat against Norway during a press conference last fall.

Increased tension

The changed security situation in which Europe finds itself, as a result of Russia's attack on Ukraine, was also the topic during Mehl's opening speech for the exercise.

"Russia's war of aggression also leads to increased tension and uncertainty in Norway – and it has been necessary for the government to implement measures for preparedness quickly."

"In the last year, it has been important to implement measures to strengthen the police and the Police Security Service, especially in the north. That is, among other things, due to the increased intelligence threat from Russia," elaborates the minister to HNN.

More preparedness measures

The term public security is extensive – and Mehl also points out the importance of creating safety for people in Northern Norway seeing as they are often more exposed to weather and a changing climate.

"That is why we have strengthened the Joint Rescue Coordination Centres and worked to build up the Norwegian Civil Defense."

Another preparedness measure she highlights in her speech is the new system for emergency alerts to the population, which was launched earlier this year.

"For the government, it is important that everyone across the country should be able to be notified about an incident. It is important to establish a system that can reach everyone. Emergency alerts help the government notify the population through their cellphones in just a few seconds."

Nordic cooperation

Are there plans for deeper preparedness cooperation in the North as more neighboring countries enter NATO?

"It is important to Norway to be supportive of Finnish and Swedish NATO memberships. We also have established cooperation in the 'Haga' cooperation. This is a good basis for developing cooperation within civil preparedness and total preparedness as well."

"In the coming years, we will likely see that it will be even more important for our countries to create good, shared platforms from a preparedness perspective," she says.

Total preparedness

In January 2022, the Norwegian government appointed a total preparedness commission to assess how the overall preparedness resources can be used in the best possible way.

The commission is chaired by former Chief of Defense Harald Sunde. Its mandate encompasses the entire public security field, including Svalbard, as well as the entire spectrum of crises – from peace to security policy crises and war," said Mehl during her opening speech.

This article was originally published in Norwegian and has been translated by Birgitte Annie Molid Martinussen.