A policeman who has been charged with violence against a person during an arrest in Kongsberg last autumn claims in his report that the police received death threats. This is written by Dagbladet, who reproduced the report that the Bureau of Police Affairs has described as “Obviously not correct”.
While the other police officers who were present when Kevin Simonsen (26), Marius Stormo (28) and Kristian Teigen (26) were beaten wrote their own reports, the now accused police officer Kevin Simensen reported violence against the police.
The comprehensive and detailed report describes a sequence of events outside the gas station that does not match the surveillance videos, which the Bureau of Police Affairs has used as a basis for indicting the police officer.
In addition to the fact that the police officer has been charged with violence and breach of duty, the Bureau has asked the chief of police in the South-Eastern police district and the Directorate of Police to assess the case administratively. As it may have implications for the police officers and police officers involved.
Dagbladet’s cases have revealed that the accused police officer and his colleague misrepresented the incident in their police report. A police officer also deleted video evidence of the incident, according to police. (Daily newspaper)
Last week, a video of the incident that took place in Kongsberg on the night of Sunday 30 October last year was published by several media outlets. Several of those involved in the fight have also appeared in the media and given their version of what happened.
Shocking, says police director Benedicte Bjørnland about the video which is supposed to show violence by the police against a man in his 20s in Kongsberg.
The way this video appears, it is going to damage trust in the police. It is shocking in its content, says the police director to NRK.
She emphasises to the channel that she does not know the content of the investigation by the Bureau of Police Affairs beyond what is seen in the video, while at the same time she repeats the word shocking in her description of it.
-n general, we have a high level of trust, but a case like this is going to destroy trust in the police, says Bjørnland.
Policeman indicted
A policeman has been charged with violence against a man in Kongsberg last year. Another police officer is said to have deleted the video recording of the incident.
Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp) will not comment on the case in question as it is being investigated by the Bureau of Police Affairs.
In general, I would say that unnecessary use of force by the police is unacceptable, says the Minister of Justice to Dagbladet, which was the first media to report on the case. (NTB)
To NRK, the head of the Bureau states that there will be a decision in the case of the policeman who is said to have deleted the mobile video, very quickly.
Dagbladet has been in contact with the policeman who has been charged, but he currently does not wish to comment on the case. The man is now represented by lawyer John Christian Elden.
He feels prejudged without having given his version to anyone, Elden wrote in a message to Dagbladet at the weekend.
The lawyer adds that the policeman will explain himself in court. (NTB)