International Police visit Norway to Learn about Online Policing
The pioneering work of the Norwegian police on digital platforms has generated significant international interest. Now, NCIS (The National Criminal Investigation Service) is receiving visits from several countries to teach the methods developed in Norway.
– Uniformed presence on the internet means that the police are visibly active on various social media platforms, conducting police work online. This emphasis on an open online presence contributes to increasing the police's accessibility and establishing closer dialogue with our citizens. We look forward to sharing our experiences with other countries, says Stine Frydnes Bjelland, head of the Section for Online Presence at the National Cyber Crime Center at NCIS.
Since 2018, the online police patrols have had a uniformed presence on social media and gaming platforms. They receive over 2000 messages via Facebook and Instagram each month, in addition to engaging in conversations while online patrolling.
Collaboration across borders
Representatives from countries such as Belgium, the Netherlands, Iceland, and Finland will visit Norway from November 20th to 24thDuring the week, methods and knowledge regarding open online presence will be shared among colleagues, with an extra emphasis on gaming as a method.
The event, known as the EMPACT Action Week, is part of a Europol project led by NCIS. EMPACT stands for the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats, which is a crime fighting initiative by the EU and Europol. For the Norwegian police, EMPACT serves as an effective platform for international collaboration. The project emphasizes uniformed online presence as a method to build public trust and prevent crime.
– The goal is to spark interest in open online presence and strengthen crime prevention, even beyond the borders of Norway. Uniformed online presence is well established in Norway, and several European countries have adopted the method in recent years, says Bjelland.
Throughout the EMPACT Action Week participating countries will partake in joint, international online patrolling on gaming platforms. Each country will play and chat with youth from their respective countries, with professional guidance from NCIS.
– Norwegian police have played a central role in developing preventive police work online and hope this will inspire international police. We hope that the EMPACT Action Week will result in knowledge sharing and collaboration across borders, Bjelland adds.
More information about online patrols here: www.politiet.no/nettpatrulje