8 Safety and security
The authorities are responsible for ensuring the security of all persons in Norway and for implementing special measures for particularly vulnerable groups. The conflict in the Middle East has increased the threat to Jewish interests and institutions in Norway. The Norwegian Police and the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) are responsible for the various tasks related to managing the safety and security of groups that are particularly vulnerable to threats. PST prepares threat assessments. The Norwegian Police will consider implementing security measures at synagogues and other meeting places for the Jewish community, based on the threat landscape and other relevant factors at any given time.
Hate crime
Hate crimes are criminal offences motivated, in whole or in part, on the basis of another person’s skin colour, national or ethnic origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, disability or other characteristics in groups with a special need for protection. For many years, hate crimes have been highlighted in the list of goals and priorities issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions, which means that their investigation, prosecution and court proceedings are to be prioritised.
A National Competence Centre on Hate Crime has been established in the Police to enhance competence on hate crime in all police districts and contribute knowledge and guidance on the subject matter. Such competence comprises various aspects of the police’s work, including prevention, intelligence, dialogue and trust-building initiatives, investigation and prosecution.
National figures on hate crime are published each year. The report Hatkriminalitet i Norge 2023 [Hate crime in Norway 2023] shows that a total of 1,090 reports of hate crime were recorded that year. The number of reports increased by 18 per cent from 2022 following a long period of prior increases. The number of cases of hate crime motivated by antisemitism has been between 15 and 20 each year since antisemitism was introduced as a specific bias motivation in the police database in 2018. However, in 2023, there was a sharp increase in such cases, especially after 7 October 2023.
Measure 17: Dialogue between the police and Jewish religious communities
Responsible: Ministry of Justice and Public Security
The Action plan Diversity, Dialogue and Trust: Action plan for the work of the Police (2022–2025) concerns work on diversity, dialogue and trust. The Action plan states, as a separate measure, that the police, nationally and at police district level, is to take the initiative to establish dialogue and suitable meeting places with different groups of citizens. Regular meetings are held with representatives of various faith communities. Dialogue has been established between the police and the Jewish faith communities in relevant police districts in order to contribute to mutual exchange of information and focal points in the police.
Measure 18: Strengthen the police’s competence on hate crime
Responsible: Ministry of Justice and Public Security
The security policy situation and threat landscape indicate that measures to combat hate crime remain relevant to efforts against antisemitism. The mandate of the National Competence Centre on Hate Crime, organisationally attached to the Oslo Police District, is to contribute to competence enhancement in the police districts and provide them with guidance in individual cases. The Competence Centre also disseminates information and knowledge of national interest, for example in the event of an increased level of conflict, and can offer guidance in such circumstances. The Competence Centre was allocated additional resources in 2024. This will both increase the capacity to provide police districts with competence development and guidance, and to conduct analyses of how vulnerable different groups are to hate crimes, including hate crimes motivated by antisemitism.