National Police Chief Anders Thornberg is still cautious about making a statement after colleague Mats Löfving’s death, but considers that the Police Authority has acted correctly. – My assessment is that we did what was reasonable, says Anders Thornberg to TV4 Nyheterna. It has been relatively quiet from the national police chief after the death of colleague and regional police chief Mats Löfving. During a business visit in Örnsköldsvik, Anders Thornberg now chooses to comment on the actions of the police leadership. – Actually, it is a relationship between two people that has had very, very big consequences and a terrible end, says Anders Thornberg to TV4 Nyheterna. – We have acted based on the Police Authority and as far as we can judge, we have acted in the way that we could and should do. My assessment is that we did what was reasonable and that we could not have acted in any other way. With regard to the relatives and to the investigation within the Police Authority which must be reported to the Work Environment Agency at the end of May, Thornberg does not wish to make any further comments. “Mourning work is in progress” Mats Löfving was found dead in his home on February 22. The death notice came hours after the investigation which showed that Löfving had been involved in several decisions in connection with Linda Staaf’s time as head of intelligence at Noa – was presented during a press conference. When Anders Thornbergs appeared during a press conference on the work against organized crime at the end of March, Thornberg stated that he did not want to answer questions. – Just today, I will not answer questions about this. Grief work is ongoing within the police authority and an employment law investigation is underway, Anders Thornberg said at the time. Criticism from the National Audit Office In connection with the press conference at the end of March, the National Audit Office also presented its review of the police’s work with special events – where the police received stinging criticism. The National Audit Office concluded, among other things, that long-term special events do more harm than good, because they hit the scarce resources of the local police areas. Also that the Police Authority’s documentation of special events was in some cases deficient. But Anders Thornberg does not share the National Audit Office’s opinion, even if he emphasizes that it is important that the police be audited. – Special events are a way of controlling, it has nothing to do with the distribution of resources at all. It is clear that we move resources when we have a special event, but we move resources every day, he says. Anders Thornberg also refers to the fact that he made a decision last autumn to start an internal investigation into how the police can streamline their work with special events.
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