National Police of Iceland
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Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
, the Police () is the national police force of
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
. It is responsible for
law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms governing that society. The term en ...
throughout the country, except in Icelandic
territorial waters The term territorial waters is sometimes used informally to refer to any area of water over which a sovereign state has jurisdiction, including internal waters, the territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone, and potenti ...
which fall under the
jurisdiction Jurisdiction (from Latin 'law' + 'declaration') is the legal term for the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice. In federations like the United States, areas of jurisdiction apply to local, state, and federal levels. Jur ...
of the Icelandic Coast Guard. Police affairs in Iceland are the responsibility of the
Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Just ...
and are administered by the Office of the National Commissioner of the Police (') on behalf of the ministry. The organisation is divided into nine districts, the largest being the Reykjavík Metropolitan Police ('), which is responsible for the
Capital Region A capital region, also called a capital district or capital territory, is a region or district surrounding a capital city. It is not always the official term for the region, but may sometimes be used as an informal synonym. Capital regions can exis ...
and its total population of around 208,000 people.


History


Origins

The police can trace its origins to 1778 when the first traces of industry started to appear. Up until that time, the law had been enforced first by individuals permitted to do so by the
Althing The Alþingi (''general meeting'' in Icelandic, , anglicised as ' or ') is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is one of the oldest surviving parliaments in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at ("thing fields" or "assembly ...
and then by '' sýslumenn'' (sheriffs) and other Royal proxies. The first policemen are considered to be the
morning star Morning Star, morning star, or Morningstar may refer to: Astronomy * Morning star, most commonly used as a name for the planet Venus when it appears in the east before sunrise ** See also Venus in culture * Morning star, a name for the star Siri ...
-armed night watchmen of Reykjavík who were commissioned primarily to deter the prisoners of the Reykjavík prison from breaking into the . In 1803, the first proper policemen were commissioned in Reykjavík as it became a free town or '. The first police chief was
Rasmus Frydensberg Rasmus may refer to: People * Rasmus (given name) * Rasmus (surname) Arts and entertainment * The Rasmus, a Finnish rock band formerly called Rasmus ** ''The Rasmus'' (album), a self-titled studio album by the Finnish band * the title chara ...
, the town mayor, who hired two former soldiers, Ole Biørn and Vilhelm Nolte, as the first policemen. It was not until shortly after 1891 that policemen were hired in most of the other areas of
Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
.


Post 1900

In 1933
Alþingi The Alþingi (''general meeting'' in Icelandic, , anglicised as ' or ') is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is one of the oldest surviving parliaments in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at ("thing fields" or "assembly ...
passed the Police Act which provided state participation in financing of police forces. This was done mostly in response to the threat of a
communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
revolution, whose capabilities had become apparent in a violent attempt to force the decisions of the Reykjavík city council, where a large part of the police forces went out of action as a result of physical injury. The act also authorized the Minister of Justice and Ecclesiastical affairs to call out reserves in critical situations. In 1972 the state took over command of law enforcement in Iceland, creating the National Police and in 1977 State Criminal Investigation Police started operations under a special Director. The State Investigation Police took over investigations of criminal activities that previously were under the control of the Reykjavík Criminal Court and police commissioners in the
Capital Region A capital region, also called a capital district or capital territory, is a region or district surrounding a capital city. It is not always the official term for the region, but may sometimes be used as an informal synonym. Capital regions can exis ...
. The National Commissioner of the Police was formed in 1997, and the State Criminal Investigation Police was decommissioned.


First and only shooting death

On December 2, 2013, a person died due to an armed police operation for the first and currently only time in Iceland's history. Police had responded to reports of shotgun fire in an apartment in
Árbær Árbær () is a district within the city of Reykjavík, Iceland. It includes five neighbourhoods: ''Árbær'' proper, ''Ártúnsholt'' , ''Norðlingaholt'' , ''Selás'' and the industrial area ''Hálsar'' . The area has approximately 13,000 inhabi ...
, a Reykjavík suburb. Initially
tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ad ...
was used in an attempt to subdue the gunman, a 59-year-old man, but it failed to affect him. When the
special police unit The Special Police Units (abbreviation: SPU; ) are the police tactical units of the Chinese People's Armed Police (PAP) at the provincial and municipal levels. There is at least one of such unit in each Chinese province to offer their services ...
entered the apartment in question, two officers were injured by shotgun fire. One officer was holding a ballistic shield which was hit. The other officer was hit in the head, but was wearing a ballistic helmet. Two officers with ballistic shields and pistols returned four shots, two of them striking the gunman. The gunman was taken to the hospital but pronounced dead upon arrival. National Police Commissioner Haraldur Johannessen immediately apologised to the man's family, calling the incident "unprecedented". The shooter's motives were not immediately clear, though some neighbours reported the gunman was making threats towards them. An investigation into this incident was launched, and the guns involved on all sides were seized. Counseling was offered to the officers involved. This still remains as the first and currently only shooting death involving the Icelandic Police in Iceland's history.


Second shooting

On the evening of August 26, 2021, a man armed with a shotgun and handgun started shooting at a car and house of the father of his girlfriends children in Egilsstaðir, small town in east Iceland. Police officers in Egilsstaðir responded armed with pistols. Officers repeatedly told the gunman to lay down his weapons and give up when he was inside the house. After about an hour, the man came out of the house and started shooting at the police officers taking cover behind cars in the driveway. One officer returned fire, striking the gunman in the chest. The gunman was quickly helped and transported by air ambulance to Reykjavík to be treated. The gunman survived and was sentenced to 8 years in prison. The incident marked the first time a normal police officer, not in the special armed police unit, fired a gun on duty.


2022 Iceland terror plot

On 21 September 2022, the police arrested four individuals who were suspected of alleged terrorist plot, the first of its kind in the country, to attack various institutions and citizens of the state.


Police academy

The police academy was shut down as of 30 September 2016 and the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture has decided to hand the responsibility of training future police officers to
University of Akureyri The University of Akureyri ( is, Háskólinn á Akureyri , regionally also ) was founded in 1987 in the town of Akureyri in the northeastern part of Iceland. It is today a school of health sciences, humanities and social science, and a school of b ...
(). Until then the police academy was its own independent institution under the Ministry of Interior. The police academy had previously been a non-university educational institution. This decision was quite controversial as it went against what a committee (established by Central Public Procurement ) had recommended, with training provided by the
University of Iceland The University of Iceland ( is, Háskóli Íslands ) is a public research university in Reykjavík, Iceland and the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education. Founded in 1911, it has grown steadily from a small civil servants' s ...
(). After the changes took place, cadets are now required to complete a two-year Police Science university diploma consisting of 120
ECTS credits The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is a standard means for comparing academic credits, i.e., the "volume of learning based on the defined learning outcomes and their associated workload" for higher education across the E ...
. The practical training takes place at the Centre for Police Training and Professional Development () , established June 1, 2016 to replace the police academy that was shut down the same year.


Ranks


Equipment


Uniform

The police wear black uniforms marked with traditional black and white checked markings and the police star. The working uniform varies from a traditional service uniform (shirt and trousers) to tactical overalls. The old traditional Icelandic service uniform is now used as a dress uniform. The trousers patrol officers use are made from a fire-resistant material.


Ranks


Weaponry

Although police officers carry only extendable batons and MK-4 OC-spray (pepper spray) whilst on duty, they are trained in the use of firearms and are issued firearms in certain situations. Most patrol vehicles are equipped with firearms in order to limit the response time needed in assignments that demand armed police. The firearms are stored in a special weapons locker. The special operations team, the ''
Víkingasveitin The Special Unit of the National Police Commissioner (), more commonly referred to as the Viking Squad (), is the police tactical unit of the Icelandic Police. The unit is in many ways modeled on the Delta tactical unit of the Norwegian Police ...
'', carry out their daily assignments armed.


Firearms

* Heckler & Koch MP5
Submachine gun A submachine gun (SMG) is a magazine-fed, automatic carbine designed to fire handgun cartridges. The term "submachine gun" was coined by John T. Thompson, the inventor of the Thompson submachine gun, to describe its design concept as an autom ...
* Heckler & Koch G36 Assault rifle *
Blaser R93 The Blaser R93 is a straight-pull action precision rifle offered in a multitude of calibers and barrel lengths manufactured by the German  firearms manufacturer Blaser. Designed by Blasers' designer Mr. Meinhard Zeh in 1993, it had a number ...
7.62×51 NATO
sniper rifle A sniper rifle is a high-precision, long-range rifle. Requirements include accuracy, reliability, mobility, concealment and optics for anti-personnel, anti-materiel and surveillance uses of the military sniper. The modern sniper rifle is a por ...
*
Steyr SSG 69 The SSG 69 (''Scharfschützengewehr 69'', literally Sharpshooter Rifle 69) is a bolt-action sniper rifle produced by Steyr Mannlicher that serves as the standard sniper rifle for the Austrian Army. Adopted in 1969 (hence the designation), it w ...
sniper rifle A sniper rifle is a high-precision, long-range rifle. Requirements include accuracy, reliability, mobility, concealment and optics for anti-personnel, anti-materiel and surveillance uses of the military sniper. The modern sniper rifle is a por ...
* Glock 17
pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, an ...
* Mossberg 500
shotgun A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which usually discharges numerous small p ...
* Rheinmetall MG 3 General-purpose machine gun * Browning M2 Heavy machine gun * Brügger & Thomet LL06 Less-lethal weapon


Transport

In Iceland, police vehicles are white with the Icelandic word for "police", ''Lögreglan'', written in blue letters. Starting in Spring 2018,
Volvo V90 Cross Country The Volvo V90 is a Station wagon, mid-size luxury wagon manufactured and marketed by Sweden, Swedish automaker Volvo Cars since 2016. Two months after the introduction of the sedan model, the V90 was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in March 20 ...
vehicles entered service with police districts across the country. The new vehicles were the first to use a new livery designed to improve visibility and were based on other European police vehicle liveries, retiring a livery that had been used by the Icelandic police since 2002. The previous vehicle livery consisted of blue and red stripes with the police star overlaying the stripes on the front doors. All markings are made of reflective material and the emergency lights are all blue. As of 2022 the regional districts own most of their cars while some of them are on long term rent from Bílaleiga Akureyrar. Previously the National Police Commissioner owned all of the police cars and the regional districts respectively rented them and paid both a per-kilometer fee and a fixed fee. The most common police cars are the Volvo V90 CC, Skoda Octavia and Superb and Land Rover Discovery. The Víkingasveitin uses 4 unmarked
Ford Police Interceptor Utility The Ford Explorer is a range of SUVs manufactured by Ford Motor Company since the 1991 model year. The first four-door SUV produced by Ford, the Explorer was introduced as a replacement for the two-door Bronco II. Within the current Ford light ...
and unmarked Chevrolet Suburban's as well GMC Yukon's that have been modified for tactical operations.


Vehicles currently used

*
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is a light commercial vehicle ( van) built by Mercedes-Benz Group AG of Stuttgart, Germany as a large van, chassis cab, minibus, and pickup truck. In the past, the Sprinter had been sold under the Mercedes-Benz, Dodge, ...
*
Volkswagen Transporter The Volkswagen Transporter, based on the Volkswagen Group's T platform, now in its seventh generation, refers to a series of vans produced for over 70 years and marketed worldwide. The T series is now considered an official list of Volkswagen Gr ...
* Mercedes-Benz Vito * BMW R1200RT * Ford Explorer * Ford Ranger Raptor *
Ford Transit The Ford Transit is a family of light commercial vehicles manufactured by the Ford Motor Company since 1965, primarily as a cargo van, but also available in other configurations including a large passenger van (marketed as the Ford Tourneo in ...
*
Ford Police Interceptor Utility The Ford Explorer is a range of SUVs manufactured by Ford Motor Company since the 1991 model year. The first four-door SUV produced by Ford, the Explorer was introduced as a replacement for the two-door Bronco II. Within the current Ford light ...
*
Chevrolet Tahoe The Chevrolet Tahoe, and its badge engineered GMC Yukon counterpart, are full-size SUVs from General Motors, offered since 1994 and 1991, respectively. Since 1982, Chevrolet and GMC sold two different-sized SUVs under their 'Blazer' and 'Jimmy ...
*
Chevrolet Suburban The Chevrolet Suburban is a series of automobiles built by the Chevrolet division of General Motors. The name started in 1934 for the 1935 U.S. model year, making it the longest continuously used automobile nameplate in production. It has tra ...
* GMC Yukon *
Ram pickup The Ram pickup (marketed as the Dodge Ram until 2010) is a full-size pickup truck manufactured by Stellantis North America (formerly Chrysler Group LLC and FCA US LLC) and marketed from 2010 onwards under the Ram Trucks brand. The current f ...
* Toyota Land Cruiser 120/150 *
Yamaha FJR1300 The Yamaha FJR1300A and FJR1300AE/AS are sport touring motorcycles made by Yamaha Motor Company. Both models have a 1,298 cc inline-four engine. The AE/AS model has an electronically controlled clutch and gear shifting system called YCC-S. Th ...
* Nissan Patrol *
Hyundai Santa Fe The Hyundai Santa Fe ( ko, 현대 싼타페) is a sport utility vehicle (SUV) produced by the South Korean manufacturer Hyundai since 2000. It is named after the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico, and was introduced for the 2001 model year as Hyundai ...
* Chevrolet Captiva * Kia Sorento *
Volvo V70 The Volvo V70 is an executive car manufactured and marketed by Volvo Cars from 1996 to 2016 across three generations. The name ''V70'' combines the letter ''V'', standing for ''versatility'', and ''70'', denoting relative platform size (i.e., a ...
*
Volvo XC90 The Volvo XC90 is a mid-size luxury SUV manufactured and marketed by Volvo Cars since 2002 and now in its second generation. The first generation was introduced at the 2002 North American International Auto Show and used the Volvo P2 platform ...
*
Volvo V90 Cross Country The Volvo V90 is a Station wagon, mid-size luxury wagon manufactured and marketed by Sweden, Swedish automaker Volvo Cars since 2016. Two months after the introduction of the sedan model, the V90 was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in March 20 ...
*
Škoda Superb The Škoda Superb is a large family car that has been produced by the Czech car manufacturer Škoda Auto since 2001. The first generation of the modern Superb, produced from 2001 to 2008, was based on the VW B5 PL45+ platform. The second gener ...
*
Škoda Octavia The Škoda Octavia is a small family car produced by the Czech car manufacturer Škoda Auto since the end of 1996. It shares its name with an earlier model produced between 1959 and 1971. Four generations of the modern-era Octavia model have ...
*
Škoda Kodiaq The Škoda Kodiaq is a mid-size crossover SUV manufactured by the Czech automaker Škoda Auto since 2016. The vehicle sits in Škoda's D-SUV, above the Škoda Kamiq and Škoda Karoq. The vehicle is based on the Volkswagen Group MQB platform, shar ...
* Land Rover Discovery


Vehicles previously used

*
Ford E-Series The Ford E-Series (also known as the Ford Econoline or Ford Club Wagon) is a range of full-size vans manufactured and marketed by the Ford Motor Company. Introduced for model year 1961 as the replacement for the Ford F-Series panel van, the E-Se ...
* Ford Bronco * Ford Mondeo * Ford Escort * Dodge Ram van * Chrysler Saratoga * Chevrolet Captiva * Chevrolet Malibu * Chevrolet Van * Chevrolet Scottsdale * Plymouth Valiant * Harley-Davidson FL * Kawasaki KZ1000P Police *
Opel Omega The Opel Omega is an executive car engineered and manufactured by German automaker Opel between 1986 and 2004. The first generation, the Omega A (1986–1993), superseded the Opel Rekord. It was voted European Car of the Year for 1987, and was ...
* Opel Vectra * BMW 3 Series *
VW Caddy The Volkswagen Caddy is a panel van and leisure activity vehicle (M-segment) produced by the German automaker Volkswagen Group since 1980. It is sold in Europe and in other markets around the world. The Volkswagen Caddy was first introduced in Nor ...
*
VW Passat The Volkswagen Passat is a series of large family cars manufactured and marketed by the German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen since 1973, and now in its eighth generation. It has been marketed variously as the Dasher, Santana, Quantum, Mago ...
* Volvo S70 * Volvo S80 *
Volvo XC70 The Volvo V70 is an executive car manufactured and marketed by Volvo Cars from 1996 to 2016 across three generations. The name ''V70'' combines the letter ''V'', standing for ''versatility'', and ''70'', denoting relative platform size (i.e., a ...
*
Volvo 140 The Volvo 140 Series is a line of mid-size cars manufactured and marketed by Volvo from 1966 to 1974 in two- and four-door sedan (models 142 and 144 respectively) as well as five door station wagon (model 145) body styles—with numerous intermedi ...
* Volvo 240 * Volvo 460 * Volvo 744 * Volvo 850 * SAAB 900 * SAAB 9000 * Toyota Camry *
Toyota Hilux The , stylized as HiLux and historically as Hi-Lux, is a series of pickup trucks produced and marketed by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. The majority of these vehicles are sold as pickup truck or cab chassis variants, although they ...
* Toyota Hiace * Toyota 4Runner * Toyota Land Cruiser 60 * Toyota Land Cruiser 90 * Toyota Tercel 4WD *
Mitsubishi Galant The Mitsubishi Galant is an automobile which was produced by Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi from 1969 until 2012. The model name was derived from the French word ''galant'', meaning "chivalrous". There have been nine distinct generations with ...
*
Mitsubishi L300 The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries. Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group historically descended from the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company which existed from 1870 t ...
* Mitsubishi Space Wagon * Subaru 1800 * Subaru Legacy * Subaru Forester * Isuzu Trooper * Mazda 929 * Škoda Octavia Scout * Land Rover Defender * Lada Sport * UAZ SGR


Organisation

There are nine police districts in Iceland which follow the regions of Iceland with the addition of Vestmannaeyjar being its own district. The current police district division is stipulated by the Regulation on Police Districts of the Police Commissioner which was signed 4 December 2014 by Prime Minister
Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson (; born 12 March 1975) is an Icelandic politician who was the prime minister of Iceland from May 2013 until April 2016. He was also chairman of the Progressive Party from 2009 to October 2016. He was elected to th ...
who acted as Minister of Justice temporarily within the Ministry of the Interior due to a scandal. The headquarters are administrative centres for their respective district and regular police stations.


Intelligence services

In 1939, at the orders of then Prime Minister Hermann Jónasson, the State Police and the ' (Foreigner monitoring agency) founded a security department or '. This service was founded primarily to monitor
Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
scientists in Iceland as well as communists. After World War II, this service had the embassies of communist countries under surveillance and compiled lists of communist sympathizers and potential saboteurs or terrorists. It was not until 2006 that this service was officially acknowledged, after having been known to only a handful of men for more than 60 years, after historians were granted limited access to secret documents. The National Commissioner's National Security Unit (), established in 2007, is currently responsible for internal intelligence activities which include evaluating threat to the constitution of the state such as terrorism or orginized crime.


See also

*
Defence of Iceland Iceland's defence forces consist of the Icelandic Coast Guard, which patrols Icelandic waters and monitors its airspace, and other services such as the National Commissioner's National Security and Special Forces Units. Iceland maintains no sta ...
*
Directorate of Customs The Directorate of Customs ( is, Tollstjóri) is the national customs service of Iceland. The Directorate of Customs is the law enforcement agency, which is in charge of not only the collection of customs duties, but also the detection of smuggl ...
* Icelandic Prison Service


References

{{authority control National Central Bureaus of Interpol National law enforcement agencies of Iceland National police forces