U.S. flag
      An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.
        Here's how you know
      Here's how you know**Official websites use .gov**
            
            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
      **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
            
            A **lock** (
            A locked padlock
            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Menu

      
        close

            
            
                                              About NIJ
        
                    
  
          About NIJ
      
    
          The NIJ Director
          How NIJ Is Organized
          Mission and Guiding Principles
          Research and Development Process
          Strategic Framework
          Assessments of NIJ
          Annual Reports & Reports to Congress
          Staff Directory
          Funding & Awards
        
                    
  
          Funding & Awards
      
    
          Current Funding
          Forthcoming Funding
          Expired Funding
          Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
          Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
          Fellowship & Student Programs
          Travel Scholarships
          NIJ Challenge Program
          Library & Multimedia
        
                    
  
          Library & Multimedia
      
    
          NIJ Journal
          Podcasts
          Publications Listing
          Multimedia Listing
          Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
          Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
          Software & Databases
          Datasets
          Patents
          Topics
        
                    
  
          Topics
      
    
          Article Listing
          Corrections
          Courts
          Crime Prevention
          Crimes
          Drugs and Crime
          Equipment and Technology
          Forensic Sciences
          Youth Justice
          Justice System Reform
          Law Enforcement
          Tribal Crime and Justice
          Victims of Crime
          Events
        
                    
  
          Events
      
    
          NIJ 2024 Research Conference
          Scheduled Events
          On-Demand Events
          Research Meetings & Workshops
          NIJ-Hosted Online Training

                            
                                About
          Contact Us
          Subscribe
          Topics A-Z
                  Share
FacebookXLinkedInRedditPinterestEmail Home
                            Library & Multimedia
 Police Use of Firearms a Constant?--The Swedish and Norwegian Experience (From Policing in Central and Eastern Europe: Dilemmas of Contemporary Criminal Justice, P 228-244, 2004, Gorazd Mesko, et al., eds. -- See NCJ-207973)
NCJ Number
              207991

Author(s)
          Johannes Knutsson
Date Published

September 2004
Length
              17 pages
Annotation
              This study examined data on the police use of firearms in Sweden and Norway for the periods 1985-2002 (Sweden) and 1990-2002 (Norway).
Abstract
              In 1965, the Swedish police force became regularly armed with a service weapon. The Norwegian police force, on the other hand, is not regularly armed; officers are armed by order of the police chief, which includes standing orders that state the circumstances under which officers may arm themselves. Arms are either stored in police stations or may, in the case of handguns, be stowed unloaded in sealed bags in patrol cars. Sweden maintains data on events in which officers fire shots in the line of duty. Norway includes data not only on incidents in which shots are fired but also when firearms have been unholstered and made ready for use in a situation perceived as threatening. In Sweden from 1985 to 2002, the annual number of incidents in which officers fired shots has varied from 19 to 35. In May 1999, two police officers who were pursuing three bank robbers exchanged fire, and both officers were killed with their own service weapons. There was no clear evidence that police shooting incidents increased after these officers were killed. Incidents where police have shot at civilians with the intent to kill them has been extremely rare in Sweden. The most frequent reason for Swedish officers to shoot their weapons is in self-defense. In Norway between 1990 and 2001, police have increasingly brandished their firearms without firing them, with but a slight increase in 2001 and a significant decrease in 2002. The increase was apparently spurred by the shooting deaths of two police officers by a mentally ill man in 1997. Over this same period, however, the number of times officers actually fired their weapons remained relatively stable. 3 tables, 8 figures, and 2 references
      
  
          Additional Details
Agencies
        NIJ


  
  
        
  Publication Type
        Report (Study/Research)
    
  
  
Date Published: September 1, 2004
    
          Downloads
        
                      PDF

Side navigation
  

        

  
  
              NIJ Journal
    
      
            
            
            
      Podcasts
    
      
            
            
            
      Publications Listing
    
      
            
            
            
      Multimedia Listing
    
      
            
            
            
      Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
    
      
            
            
            
      Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
    
      
            
            
            
      Software & Databases
    
      
            
            
            
      Datasets
    
      
            
            
            
      PatentsRelated Topics
        
                Comparative Analysis
        Criminology
        Firearms
        Foreign police
        Police deaths



  
Similar Publications
        
                      A Comparison of Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) Micro X-Ray Fluorescence (uXRF) and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) for the Discrimination of Automotive Glass
                  Genetic Variation in Tunisia in the Context of Human Diversity Worldwide
                  The interpersonal context of depression and violent behavior: A social psychological interpretation
 Top

      National Institute of Justice

        
        
                        About NIJ
                    About NIJ
      
    
                  How NIJ Is Organized
      
    
                  NIJ Director
      
    
                  Research Disclaimer
      
    
                  Funding & Awards
                    Funding & Awards Home
      
    
                  Awards Listing
      
    
                  Current Funding
      
    
                  Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
      
    
                  Resources
                    Events
      
    
                  Podcasts
      
    
                  Publications
      
    
                  Topics
      
    
                  Multimedia
      
    
                  Reuse Policy
      
    
                  Contacts
                    Contact NIJ
      
    
                  Staff Directory
      
    
                  Submit a FOIA Request
      
    
                  File a Civil Rights ComplaintFacebook
          
                      X
          
                      YouTube
  

      810 7th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20531
      
              Secondary Footer link menu
            Accessibility
              Plain Language
              Privacy Policy
              Legal Policies and Disclaimer
              No FEAR Act
              Freedom of Information Act
              USA.gov
              Justice.gov