Norway police chief quits over Breivik report

NORWAY: The head of Norway’s police resigned Thursday after publication of a damning report on the handling of last year’s twin attacks by right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, which left 77 dead.

Police chief Oeystein Maeland’s resignation came three days after the report was published and was announced by Justice Minister Grete Faremor during a televised debate.

Maeland said the “confidence of the justice ministry is of course decisive for me to remain in my job”, in a statement cited by the NTB news agency.

“If the ministry and other political authorities do not clarify this matter unequivocally, it will become impossible for me to continue,” said Maeland, who took over as police head only days before the attacks on July 22 last year.

An independent commission, appointed by Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg to see what lessons could be learned from the authorities’ response, submitted its report on Monday, primarily criticising the slow and disorganised handling of the attacks by police.

AFP