"Then they find themselves guilty of murder"
Helgi Gunnlaugsson criminologist thinks that increased use of knives and weapons among young people is seriously alarming. Composite image
Helgi Gunnlaugsson, a criminologist and a professor at the University of Iceland, says the increase in armed violence among youths is a concern and that action needs to be taken. The use of knives by young people and the use of drugs is a lethal combination. He says there is a wave of homicide cases going on in Iceland, with eight homicides in just over a year.
“We’re going through a wave of homicide cases right now. The question is, of course: is this a wave that will soon subside or is this something that’s here to stay,” Gunnlaugsson tells mbl.is.
“We are a small society and there are relatively few homicides every year in general. But then we see year on year variations. In a society like Iceland, we must look at this situation over many years. Between 2000 and 2020, there were typically two homicides a year."
Committed in the heat of the moment
Helgi reviews the main characteristics of homicide cases in Iceland. Firearms are rare and there is usually a so-called instantaneous frenzy between the parties involved. They are not typically pre-planned but committed in the “heat of the moment,” often a tragedy involving alcohol and other drugs. Although there are exceptions, he cites the Rauðagerði case as an example.
“What’s happening now is that we’re getting a significant number of homicide cases in a short period of time. I still don’t think the nature of the cases has changed much, but individual cases are very different. There is a lot of evidence that many of these cases that have arisen in the last year, which are quite numerous, have to a large extent been similar to homicide cases from 2000 to 2020. ”
The police have noticed an increase in the presence of weapons and that far more serious violence is now taking place.
“Knife carrying seems to have become more mainstream and some ideology among some younger men that this is necessary to protect themselves, but then things get out of hand in a few cases. It needs to be conveyed to these groups, through education and prevention, how dangerous this is,” says Gunnlaugsson.
Intoxicated and making wrong decisions
“It seems that people don’t realize how little is often needed. One is concerned that this will become a constant in the younger age groups, that they think it’s time for them to defend themselves like this. Then they get high and often make wrong decisions and then they find themselves guilty of murder.”
He points out that the rise of weapons in public is not a sign of a secure society, but the contrary.
“All kinds of drugs are running high, people losing their judgement, and that is a sign of danger that could indicate that this surge is not the usual wave we have had since the turn of the century. I fear so. Yet, I doubt that we will be getting eight murders each year, but somehow we need to stop this chain of events.”
"Of course one must be shocked"
“We all want to live in a safe society, but this is not safety. Carrying knives is not a sign of a safe society.”
He says he finally hopes the wave will subside, but adds:
“Of course, one must be shocked; we must linger in this trend because it’s more than we’ve seen before. The recent increase in frequency must be alarming, and this is a worrying sign that we must take seriously.
We need to undermine this ideology that justifies the use of knives and weapons and their use in even the slightest provocation."
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