The police’s new method for combating violent crimes against women

Now the police are introducing new methods to combat men’s violence against women and violence in close relationships.
With the ongoing operation Beta, the focus is on the men who are the perpetrators of violence.
– In the past, we have concentrated more on the investigative part and protecting the women and getting the women to leave destructive relationships. Now we are working from two sides, so we must also concentrate on the perpetrators, says national police chief Petra Lundh.

In 2023, the Norwegian Police Agency started a national operation, Beta, to strengthen the ability to work preventively against high-risk actors who risk committing serious or deadly violence against a loved one. The work has started in above all the police region Mitt, Stockholm and Syd.

In an initial survey, the police have now identified roughly 300 men across the country who are classified as “high-risk actors”.

– In that situation, we have gone through all our material, what we have access to. We have then tried to identify those who are high-risk actors and we have done that all over the country. We have concluded that there are roughly 300 men, says national police chief Petra Lundh in Nyhetsmorgon.

Helped by the research

It is with the help of research that the police have identified these men, by looking at a number of risk factors such as controlling behaviour, previous convictions and mental illness. National Police Chief Petra Lundh states that it is not a homogenous group.

– It is not a homogenous group at all, but it can be people who come from different circumstances and all social classes, she says in Nyhetsmorgon.

Criticism of the working method

This new way of working has been met with criticism, where critics believe that the focus should be on creating confidence in the women, that it is through their stories that the men can be singled out.

– It is not that we have changed methods. This is just another method, so it goes without saying that we still work very hard against the women, says national police chief Petra Lundh.