Guns status symbol for Iceland’s criminals
Photo: Eggert
Criminals view firearms as a status symbol and police officers and the public could be at risk of getting caught up in shooting, says Iceland’s Home Affairs Minister Ólöf Nordal.
Nordal’s words come in response to a question from Bjarkey Olsen Gunnarsdóttir MP on controversial new plans to kit out Icelandic police cars with firearms. Gunnarsdóttir wonders whether arming police increases the likelihood of criminals acquiring weapons.
“There are various reasons why criminals arm themselves,” reads Nordal’s reply. “They mostly arm up against each other, either to defend themselves or to get power. Police have also seen that criminals view weapons as a status symbol.”
“Criminals also use weapons to commit crimes – such as robbery – where the weapon is used to threaten or kill. In some cases, they are also used by criminals to defend themselves from police, who more often than not succeed in resolving such situations by negotiation. It is vital for police to be armed for such negotiation to work,” Nordal continues.
The minister also points out that there are no plans to actually increase police powers to bear arms.
The proposed changes involve police cars carrying weapons in locked compartments in order to reduce reaction times for police should a serious armed situation arise.
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