Have fled their homes due to threats

“It has happened that police officers have had to stay elsewhere than at home because of threats they have received while working,” says Grímur Grímsson, head of the central investigation unit of the police department, when asked if a police officer had to flee her home following death threats.

Morgunblaðið has sources claiming that a policewoman fled her home after receiving death threats. According to the newspaper, the person who threatened her is connected to the shooting in Úlfarsárdalur valley in early November.

More than once

Grímsson does not wish to confirm the information on specific cases in this context, which he says is extremely sensitive, but certainly this situation has occurred and more often than once.

Article on Iceland Monitor

Gunman at large after a shooting

“When police employees receive threats like this, they react differently, but certainly these are serious issues and they should be addressed as such,” he says. “It’s known that a policeman’s car was set on fire this summer, which was believed to be related to the owner being a police officer, and in December, another policeman’s car was damaged, which was also believed to be related to his work in the police force. Generally speaking, I can say it has happened that policemen are being threatened, directly and indirectly.”

Is there any support for police officers who find themselves in this situation?

“If it is confirmed that a certain person is threatening a member of the police, then it is a violation of Article 106 of the Penal Code, which is a violation against civil authority. Those cases are investigated by the district attorney,” says Grímssom. “We don’t investigate them in our police offices.”

Violence is increasing

When asked if the situation is getting worse in the country’s underworld, he says it is, and one manifestation of this is that policemen are increasingly threatened. “It’s known in the police data that there are many times when the police are armed. The calls from the Special Forces are many and increase between years, so we assess that there is increased violence in society, and it’s possible to talk about underworld in that context.”

Article on Iceland Monitor

Police is interviewing the suspect

The full article is in Morgunblaðið.