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 The police of the capital area was unable to tend to five calls tonight because of work load. The Morgunbladid has documents that show amongst other that one of these calls were because of a break in where the house owner was able to scare the burglars away.
Another police officer has now stepped forward and sent an anonymous letter about the situation inside the police and the effect of the enormous cut backs on the police. There says that at least for the past two nights where under normal conditions should have been categorized as calm, were "crazy" and the police had been unable to tend to many calls.
One of them were regarding a break in and the author of the letter wonders what would have happened if the case on Bardastrond would have repeated itself and the burglars had attacked the house owner, who was there by himself.
In the letter also says that the police still owes some detectives roughly 200 overtime hours from last year and has now quit paying special benefits when police officers are called out on extra shifts.
The letter also says that in the trays of the detectives are cases from May which have not even been touched or reviewed. In the first letter that was published said that many of the detectives have all up to 30-40 cases on their hands.
The burglary department closed when break ins have increased 61%
The letter says that the changes of the investigation departments that were made in May have lead to that the burglary department and the investigation department of traffic violations have been closed. The author of the letter points out that break ins here in Iceland have increased by 61% since last year and the department should have been enforced - not closed down.
Then it also says that the clothing requests of the detectives have been put down.
The detectives do not work in their uniforms and is thought to be discrimination that they do not get a uniform to work on. The author points out that some might think it is normal that the detectives buy their own clothes so he iterates that the detectives have many different situations in their line of work.
"This is the clothing you wear amongst criminals, needle junkies, addicts and homeless. I do not want to discriminate against these people, they have a hard time and need help. But their lifestyle is to say the least disgusting and in house searches are the detective walking through excrements and urine mixed in trash, amongst blood infected needles and drug remainders. They are wearing these clothes in dangerous and dirty environment. No matter how well you wash them, you will never want to hold your kids while wearing them."
The helicopter would have been there sooner Then says in the letter that the police on the countryside is dealing with lack of funds and there had been set a maximum mileage on vehicles. In the letter says that some of the offices are not able to stay below this limit, even if they only drive for calls.
The author says that it is very common that the police vehicles only have one officer out in the country side and mentions examples of when a man was to be arrested and the police officer called for backup. There were 200 km between him and the next vehicle and says in the letter that the person would have had to wait for a shorter period of time for help from the helicopter of the national guards from Reykjavik than waiting for the car.
The national police chief had a progress report made in April 2008 about the employee need of the police and it showed that the police needed 351 police officers. In the letter says that in the beginning of 2007 had they been 339, and in February 2008 had they been 298. The author of the letter says that he does not think they have increased at all since then. The team spirit is what matters The author says in the end of the letter that the only thing keeping the police in the capital area working these days is the team spirit and the plans are now to split that up too. In September are plans to shuffle up and put on a new system where there will be no certain group of men working together but each officer chooses the days he or she wants to work on.
News Article by noname
Translated by Anya
Original Article in Icelandic
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