Home Guard stands down, assistance to the police no longer required
The police have gained sufficient overview and control of the situation and is no longer in need of assistance from the Home Guard to guard high-value objects. The Home Guard will stand down on November 29, but the strengthened police presence around high-value objects will remain in place.
As a result of the Baltic Sea gas pipeline leaks, the police strengthened their presence around selected petroleum industry objects.
"The police quickly requested support from the Home Guard in order to ensure sufficient emergency preparedness in an unclear situation, even though no specific threats against Norwegian oil and gas plants had been detected," National Police Commissioner Benedicte Bjørnland says.
Better overview of the situation
The police continuously evaluate their need for assistance from external agencies. A main preparedness principle is to quickly escalate the ability to respond to incidents, and then return to normal when the situation allows.
"Although the overall threat level is unchanged, we now have a better overview and control of the situation and no longer need support from the Home Guard," Bjørnland explains.
Close cooperation
The police cooperate closely with the Armed Forces and the petroleum industry to maintain a shared situational awareness, coordinate security measures and continuously exchange information with all relevant partners in order to quickly detect and react to changes in the situation.
"Currently there are no threats against Norwegian oil and gas installations, and the decision to stand down the Home Guard has been made in consultation with the relevant partners," Bjørnland emphasises.
Ready for rapid reactivation
The police will continue to maintain a strengthened and uniformed presence around several high-value objects, but will also implement other, less visible measures. Further details concerning specific security measures will not be provided, but these measures mostly relate to intelligence, close cooperation and heightened preparedness.
“On behalf of the police, I would like to thank the Armed Forces for their efforts and assistance. The police will maintain a strong presence around high-value objects, and the Home Guard can be quickly redeployed should the situation so require,” Bjørnland concludes.