| Norwegian Police Service Politi- og lensmannsetaten | |
|---|---|
 Coat of arms | |
| Common name | Politi |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 13th century |
| Employees | 13,000 |
| Annual budget | 13 billion kr (2010) |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| National agency | Norway |
| Operations jurisdiction | Norway |
| General nature | |
| Operational structure | |
| Minister responsible | |
| Agency executive |
|
| Parent agency | Ministry of Justice and Public Security |
| National units | List
|
| Police districts | 12 |
| Facilities | |
| Stations | 66 |
| Sheriff's offices | 301 |
| Helicopters | 3 AgustaWestland AW169 |
| Website | |
| politi.no | |
The Norwegian Police Service (Norwegian: Politi- og lensmannsetaten) is the Norwegian national civilian police agency. The service dates to the 13th century when the first sheriffs were appointed, and the current structure established in 2003. It comprises a central National Police Directorate, seven specialty agencies and twelve police districts. The government agency is subordinate to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security and has 16,000 employees, of which 8,000 are police officers. In addition to police powers, the service is responsible for border control, certain civil duties, coordinating search and rescue operations, counterterrorism, highway patrolling, writ of execution, criminal investigation and prosecution. The directorate is led by National Police Commissioner Marie Benedicte Bjørnland.
Each police district is led by a chief of police and is subdivided into several police stations in towns and cities, and sheriffs' offices for rural areas. The Governor of Svalbard acts as chief of police for Svalbard. Norwegian police officers do not carry firearms, but keep their Heckler & Koch MP5 submachine guns and Heckler & Koch P30 pistols locked down in the patrol cars. The Norwegian Prosecuting Authority is partially integrated with the police.
Specialist agencies within the services include the National Criminal Investigation Service, the National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime (Økokrim), the National Police Immigration Service, the National Mobile Police Service, the Norwegian Border Commissioner, the National Police Computing and Material Service and the Norwegian Police University College. Several other national responsibilities are under the command of Oslo Police District, such as the police tactical unit Delta and the two police helicopters. The Police Security Service is separate from the National Police Directorate.