Thorleif Oscar Karlsen (17 December 1909 – 31 January 2010) was a Norwegian police inspector and politician, who also became known through the radio program ''Trafikk og musikk''. He was born in

Stavanger Stavanger (, , American English, US usually , ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Norway. It is the fourth largest city and third largest metropolitan area in Norway (through conurbation with neighboring Sandnes) and the a ...

, to which his parents had moved in the same year. He was hired as a police officer in 1930. He worked in Stavanger from 1930 to 1932, for

Statspolitiet (; shortened STAPO) was from 1941 to 1945 a National Socialist armed police force that consisted of Norwegian officials after Nazi German pattern. It operated independently of the ordinary Norwegian police. The force was established on 1 June 19 ...

in Oslo from 1932 to 1937 and then in Stavanger again from 1938. During the occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany he was arrested in February 1941 for "anti-German propaganda". He was imprisoned at Møllergata 19 from 26 February to 22 March, then at Ånebyleiren concentration camp until 16 April. He was freed, but was later arrested again during a crackdown on the police ( no, politiaksjonen), and was then imprisoned at Grini concentration camp from March 1943 to January 1944. After being released again, he was even arrested for a third time, and sat at Møllergata 19 from October 1944 to the war's end in May 1945. He has speculated that the reason for him not being sent to a German concentration camp, was that his father co-founded Nasjonal Samling. After World War II he continued as a police officer. He was also a member of Stavanger city council from 1947 to 1955, representing the Labour Party. In 1954 he became the first non-jurist to serve as police inspector in the city Oslo. The appointment of a non-jurist was controversial, and was even debated in the

Parliament of Norway The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years bas ...

. He led the traffic police department in Oslo, and held the position until 1979. He became nationally known as permanent guest in the

Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and the largest ...

radio program ''Trafikk og musikk'' hosted by Oddvar Folkestad which aired every Saturday afternoon between 1960 and 1980. He was one of the founders of

Trygg Trafikk Trygg may refer to: People * Carl Johan Trygg (1887–1954), Scandinavian woodcarver *Carl Olaf Trygg (1910-1993), Scandinavian woodcarver * Lars Trygg (1929–1999), Scandinavian woodcarver * Mats Trygg (born 1976), Norwegian ice hockey player * ...

. In 1982 he was hired as a columnist in '' Stavanger Aftenblad''. Karlsen died on 31 January 2010 in Stavanger. He was married for the most of his life, had five children and twelve grandchildren. He was also a

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

and a member of the International Organisation of Good Templars, and from 1978 to 1983 he was a board member of the International Abstaining Motorists Association. He has been decorated with the King's Medal of Merit in gold, and appointed a Knight of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog ( da, Dannebrogordenen) is a Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single class known a ...

, a Knight of the Order of Vasa and a Knight of the Order of the Lion of Finland.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karlsen, Thorleif 1909 births 2010 deaths Norwegian police officers Norwegian resistance members Grini concentration camp survivors Politicians from Stavanger Labour Party (Norway) politicians NRK people Norwegian columnists Norwegian Freemasons Norwegian centenarians Men centenarians Knights of the Order of the Lion of Finland Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog Knights of the Order of Vasa Recipients of the King's Medal of Merit in gold International Organisation of Good Templars