Norway is one of the Nordic countries famous for its education system and for its exemplary nature in terms of environmental protection. Now, it is also on the way to becoming a model in the fight against animal cruelty with the upcoming creation of a police unit specially dedicated to these issues.
Birth of a new unit specializing in animal defense
It is in the county of Sor-Trondelag, in western Norway, that a brand new specialized police unit will see the light of day. The team will initially be made up of 3 people - an investigator, a lawyer and a coordinator - who will be responsible for investigating cases of animal abuse.The creation of this new unit follows an announcement by the Norwegian government in April 2015.
Could we say that the creation of this new unit responds to many complaints that have not been followed up? Well, actually, not that much! In 2014, however, there were "only" 38 complaints of violence against animals recorded by the Norwegian police.
With the creation of this specialized police force, the Norwegian Ministry of Agriculture hopes to encourage witnesses of animal abuse to come forward more and, also, to encourage judges to pronounce harsher sentences against those who commit acts of cruelty to animals. In Norway - as in France -, the perpetrators of violence against animals are only rarely sentenced to significant pen alties even though Norwegian law provides for up to 3 years in prison for these people. This initiative was inspired by the Netherlands and Sweden where such “animal police” already exist.
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If this new unit sees the light of day, it is of course to move things forward in terms of animal protection, but it is also, with a more unexpected objective: that of preventing acts of family violence. Various studies have shown that animal abuse often goes hand in hand with domestic violence.
Concomitantly with its mission to protect animal welfare, the creation of this new unit should therefore "also contribute to the prevention of crime and attacks on people" , according to the words of Sylvi Listhaug, the Norwegian Minister of Agriculture relayed by the 30 Million Friends Foundation website.
This new brigade will soon be formed for an experimental period of three years, beyond which these special units will be extended to the whole country.