OSLO, norway —A year after a far-right militant’s bomb and gun attacks exposed flaws in Norway’s terror preparedness, police are being criticized for failing to improve their ability to stop a gunman bent on inflicting mass casualties.
In contrast to the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, which led to sweeping changes in police tactics and training in the U.S., the massacre of 77 people in July last year hasn’t had a tangible impact on Norway’s police force, critics say.
“There are hardly been any visible changes from July 22 and until today,” said Arne Johannessen, who heads Norway’s union for police officers.
A government-appointed commission on Monday presented a long-awaited 500-page report outlining flaws — and some bright spots — in how police and other authorities responded to Norway’s worst peacetime attacks.
The confessed gunman, right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, set off a car bomb outside the government headquarters in Oslo, then drove to the Labor youth division’s summer camp, disguised as a police officer, and opened fire. Eight people were killed in the explosion, while 69 people died in the massacre on Utoya island, some 25 miles from the capital.
Breivik’s shooting massacre lasted for more than an hour before he surrendered to a police anti-terror unit. A verdict is expected Aug. 24.
Police had already admitted to a series of blunders, including flaws in communication systems and the breakdown of an overloaded boat carrying the anti-terror squad. The only police helicopter was unused, its crew on vacation.
But the report also questioned the actions of the first officers to arrive on the shore of the lake, saying they received instructions to get an overview of the situation and await the anti-terror unit instead of trying to cross over to Utoya to confront the gunman.
Police Commissioner Oeystein Maeland said police will “critically review” procedures for dealing with an active shooter.
Even Breivik, 33, testified during his trial that he expected police to confront him on his way to Utoya or within 15 minutes after firing his first shots on the island.
As it turned out, Breivik drove unhindered to Utoya after setting off the bomb — even though police had the license plate of his getaway car. On Utoya, he called police twice to announce he was ready to give himself up, then kept killing as no officers had arrived to arrest him.
