5. Unlawful influence in the Norwegian justice sector

This chapter draws on research reports concerning economic crime, police corruption, threats to judicial independence and staff well-being in the correctional system in Norway. It incorporates annual reports from the courts administration and correctional system, and an evaluation report on police corruption. In addition, two Norwegian government official reports and statistics on reported offences against public officials are used.

5.1. Unlawful influence by organised crime

In 2019, National Criminal Investigation Service (Kripos) made a situation report of gang crime in Norway (NOU 2020:4). The overview states that the Norwegian police do not experience that their service execution or movement is restricted by organised crime, but that threats against police officials by criminal gangs do occur:

the police occasionally experience being obstructed and subjected to direct threats during gang-related operations. Such incidents occur more frequently when the police are outnumbered. The situations sometimes appear to be coordinated and planned but can also arise spontaneously. Threatening behaviour towards the police is documented and shared via social media, which in turn serves to unite and inspire the gangs. (NOU 2020:4, p.127, report authors' translation)

The overview further notes, based on the general experience of the police, that criminal youth groups are more likely to harass public officials than more experienced gang members (NOU 2020:4). The more experienced actors often have a less visible role. Among established gang members, the use of violence is not always necessary, as they may have built up sufficient intimidation capital, allowing them to achieve their objectives without having to use physical force. This intimidation capital can be used for extortion, influencing legal actors and other forms of threat-based crime. In Norway, police employees are considered the primary targets of unlawful influence by criminal networks, while prison staff are affected to a slightly lesser extent.

Identity shielding

Identity shielding of employees in the justice sector have been debated in recent years in Norway. In 2024 a Norwegian official report (NOU) on access to identity shielding for police and correctional service employees was published (NOU 2024:5). The NOU suggested limited and targeted access to identity shielding for employees in the police and correctional services, where compelling reasons justify it. This shows the intricacy of unlawful influence, as the risk of it can be used both to argue for and against identity shielding. Identity shielding would on one hand be motivated by employee safety. On the other hand, transparency of public authority actions and considerations for individual legal protection suggest that access to identity shielding should be limited. The NOU specifically raised the risk of unlawful influence and conflicts of interest as an argument against shielding.

Unlawful influence through corruption

In recent years, the Norwegian government has focused on corruption in its efforts to combat organised crime (Justis- og beredskapsdepartementet, 2024). As part of this work, a survey was conducted in 2025 to map the extent of economic crime affecting businesses and municipalities (SØA, 2025). The report shows that fewer than 0.5% of businesses (i.e., all Norwegian entities engaged in economic activity) have been exposed to corruption, whereas the figure for municipalities is almost 2%. When looking specifically at the public administration and defence sector businesses, almost 12% report having suffered some form of economic loss. The report does not address the role or impact of organised crime, nor the public justice sector.

Offences against public officials

Reported cases of violence and threats against public officials have increased over the past 20 years in Norway. As shown in Figure 3, over the last decade there has been a rise in threats, while cases of obstruction or harassment against public officials have decreased. The level of violence has increased moderately since 2020. The statistics do not indicate the extent to which organised crime has been involved in these offences.

Figure 3. Reported offences against public officials in Norway, 2015–2024.
Source: Statistics Norway (2025)

5.2. The police

Reported threats and violence against police employees have increased over the past decade in Norway, from 1,159 cases of violence in 2013 to 1,665 cases in 2022 (NOU 2024:5, pp. 121–122). Of the 1,980 reported cases of violence against public officials in 2022 (Figure 3), approximately 1,665 concerned a police employee, indicating that most reported incidents of violence against public officials concern the police.

According to an employee survey from the Norwegian police in 2022, 18% of employees reported having been subjected to threats of violence, and 10% reported having been subjected to actual violence at work (Politiet, 2022, referenced in NOU 2024:5). To what degree these offences are committed by organised crime is not reported.

Police corruption

In the Norwegian police, unlawful influence and corruption gained increased attention after the former police officer Eirik Jensen was sentenced to 21 years in prison for gross corruption and complicity in the import of narcotics. An evaluation committee was appointed with the mandate of identifying key learning points for the police to prevent something similar from happening again. The evaluation committee identified 11 key lessons and recommendations concerning leadership, leadership accountability, informant handling and knowledge, learning, and research (Borgerud et al., 2021).

A recent report on police corruption in Norway (Thomassen & Strype, 2024) found that legally defined forms of corruption, such as bribery and improper advantages, were quite rare within the Norwegian police. However, applying a broader international definition they found that misuse of information, sexually motivated abuse of power, process corruption and theft or embezzlement were more common.

The report also looked at risk factors for corruption within the police and identified individual, situational and organisational factors. The most crucial individual factors for corruption were personal financial difficulties, substance abuse and private associations with criminals. At the situational level, factors such as autonomy, position, field of work, and methods of operation seemed to play a role (Thomassen & Strype, 2024). On the organisational level factors such as “risk acknowledgement” and a safe environment for whistleblowing influence the risk of corruption in the police.

Overall, police corruption seems to be relatively rare in Norway. In an employee survey in 2022, approximately 2% of those working in the police reported that during the past two years they had been exposed to or observed attempted corruption at work (Politiet, 2022, referenced in Thomassen & Strype, 2024, p. 24).

5.3. The prison and probation service

The Norwegian Correctional Service has reported an increase in violence and threats against employees. In the period from 2018 to 2022, the number of reported violent and threat-related offences against employees increased fourfold, rising from 110 to 487 reported cases (NOU 2024:5). Also in 2024, incidents of violence and threats increased, both between inmates and against staff (Kriminalomsorgsdirektoratet, 2025). The increase is believed to be linked to developments in the prison population, with more individuals suffering from mental illness and more inmates affiliated with criminal networks. In response, the correctional services have begun registering prisoners’ group affiliations. This to ensure more information to prevent and reduce incidents of violence and threats in prisons.

A 2023 survey of psychological stress reactions among staff in the Norwegian correctional services reported that 70% had experienced one or more forms of threats, either directed at themselves or their families, at work or during their free time (Rambøll Management Consulting, 2023). In addition, 55% had been subjected to physical violence either at work or outside of work. Influence and stress caused by prisoners connected to organised crime was not specifically addressed in this survey.

5.4. Courts

Almost all Norwegian courts have recently adopted a national system for reporting deviations (Norges domstoler, 2024). In 2024, 60 deviations related to external threats were registered. These threats were made against judges, caseworkers and courts, as well as instances of vandalism and verbal or written harassment. The severity and nature of the threats vary considerably, and there is no information on the extent to which they can be linked to organised crime. Courts are however increasingly focusing on security and preparedness, not least regarding information security and vulnerability to influence.

Moreover, the Norwegian Courts Administration published a report titled Judges under Stress in 2025 (Bojarski, 2025). Although the report’s empirical data comes mainly from European countries outside the Nordic region, its themes raise questions about threats, stress, and pressures from various actors, including risks of judicial corruption, which the Norwegian courts administration regards as relevant to Norway.

5.5. Summary

Overall, the picture of unlawful influence by organised crime in Norway remains largely unknown. No publicly available indicators assessing influence from organised crime could be found within the Norwegian justice system. The justice system institutions however appear to be placing increasing emphasis on systematically reporting incidents of violence, threats and harassment, with an awareness of the links to organised crime.