Police union leader warns Justice Minister about new PST head appointment

Verdens Gang (VG) reports that police union leader, Lasse Roen, who represents the Police Security Service (PST) staff, issued a stark warning to Justice Minister, Grete Faremo (Labor), not to recruit the new head of PST in the same manner as her predecessor, Knut Storberget, hired Janne Kristiansen.

Storberget (Labor), who was controversial because of his attempts to make blasphemy illegal and to introduce the use of the hijab to the Norwegian police force, and who recently stepped down after receiving death threats, had hand picked Kristiansen for the job. The appointment was by many regarded as a political one.

Arne Johannessen, national head of the Norwegian Police Union (Politiets Fellesforbund), which represents more than 10,000 Norwegian police officers, recently strongly criticized how the previous head of the PST was hired, stating that Storberget steered around several good applicants with strong professsional integrity and relevant police experience, when he picked Janne Kristiansen. In an interview with VG, Johannesen said that to hire a new PST chief with little leader experience and no police-professional background is like risk-sport.

Now the union leader representing PST employees made it clear that PST workers do not want Justice Minister Faremo to recruit a new boss by calling around. “In the last round, many sat and waited for a phone call. Now we want potential applicants to actually apply [for the job] and not [just] wait for a call from the Justice Minister to be encouraged to apply,” Roen said to VG.

Roen also said to VG that the police officers at the PST see a need for several changes in the application process, but that they have not been heard. He said the most important thing is that the application process is made better. “If the applicants openly stand forward on [the] application list, they also contribute to a more fair and open process now. The last time a new PST-chief was to be hired, uncertainty was created as to whether the process was open and genuine,” said Roen to VG.

Roen has also previously stated to VG that the PST staff do not want another political appointement.

Janne Kristiansen has been investigated by the Special Unit of the Police Force (Internal Affairs) after her apparent slip of the tongue during a parliamentary hearing in which she accidentally revealed that Norway’s Military Intelligence Service has operative agents in Pakistan, but the case has now been closed.

Google translation [edited for clarity]:

PST employees warns Faremo against telephone recruitment

Thursday Minister of Justice Grete Faremo announced the position as head of the Police Security Service. Faremo places more demands to the new pst boss, among other things, that he should be able to handle the media in a confident manner and that the person must have completed a law degree or other relevant education.

Do not need to have a legal degree

Earlier Thursday Progress Party leader of the Justice Committee [Per Sandberg] made critical remarks regarding Faremo not to a greater extent encourages people with practical law enforcement or military backgrounds to apply for the prestigious job. He has the support of the PST staff.

- To name a specific law degree in the announcement text can provide signals that it is what is desired. We had wanted a broader announcement, where the Ministry also took more consideration to potential applicants with other backgrounds.

- I think there are people other than lawyers who can fill that position, says Lasse Roen….

Original article: PST-ansatte advarer Faremo mot telefon-rekruttering
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Related post: National Police Union leader warns Justice Department about appointment of new PST head

Related post: Head of PST steps down, PST staff do not want another political appointment

National Police Union leader warns Justice Department about appointment of new PST head

Arne Johannessen, leader of the Norwegian Police Union (Politiets Fellesforbund), gave a strong warning to the Justice Department regarding the appointment of a new head of the Police Security Service (PST), the Police Union wrote on its website, pf.no.

“To hire a new PST-chief with little leader experience and no [police-]professional background from the area of responsibility of the PST is a risk sport. We cannot afford to make another miss; confidence and calm around the PST have to be created so that they can do the important job they have been assigned to do,” Johannesen said in an interview with the newspaper, Verdens Gang (VG), the Police Union writes.

“I and many others were critical when Janne Kristiansen [former head of PST] was appointed, and there was no lack of critique against the many jumps around by Storberget [the former Justice Minister]. PF (The Police Union) was very critical of the so-called [application] process. There were good applicants with strong professsional integrity and experience on the application list, but Storberget went around and got Kristiansen. I hope the politicians have learnt something from this,” Johannesen said.

The appointment of Janne Kristiansen by Knut Storberget (Labor) in 2009 as head of the Police Security service was regarded by many as a political one. Storberget was controversial as Justice Minister because of his attempts to make blasphemy illegal and to introduce the use of the hijab to the Norwegian police force. He stepped down in November 2011 after having received death threats from a group called “The Organization for a Free Norway” (Organisasjonen Fritt Norge).

Google translation:

Warns against gambling with new PST chief
23.02.2012

Arne Johannessen, head of the Joint Police Association, warns the justice minister against to gamble with the appointment of a new PST boss.

“Hiring a PST manager with little management experience and no academic background in PSTs area of ​​responsibility is a risk sport. We can not afford another blunder, it must be created confidence and peace around the PST so that they can do the important job they are meant to do,” says Johannessen to VG….

Original article: Advarer mot å gamble med ny PST-sjef
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Related post: Head of PST steps down, PST staff do not want another political appointment

Head of PST steps down, PST staff do not want another political appointment

Janne Kristiansen, head of the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST), announced last night that she is stepping down as leader of the PST. The announcement came hours after her apparent slip of the tongue during the 7/22 hearing in parliament in which she revealed that Norway’s military intelligence service has operative agents in Pakistan.

Google translation:

PST boss: “I said wrong”
19.01.12

When VG confronted Janne Kristiansen with the statements immediately after the hearings, she tried to dampen the impact of what she had said.

“I said wrong, I thought the police liaison officer. He is our point of contact in Pakistan,” said the PST-chief to VG.

Late yesterday afternoon, when Parliament set out its shorthand minutes of the hearing, it was not made ​​any corrections. There was also no correction of Kristiansen’s statements on the PST website.

During the hearing revealed Kristiansen, the Norwegian intelligence service has agents on the ground in Pakistan. Within hours after refereratet was published, she pulled out as head of the Police Security Service (PST)….

Original article: PST-sjefen: – Jeg sa feil
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Janne Kristiansen’s leadership of the PST has been turbulent. Former Justice Minister, Knut Storberget (Labor), encouraged her to apply for the position, and NRK writes that her appointment has been considered by many as a political decision.

Second-in-command, Roger Berg, will act as head of PST for the time being. Employee representative, Lasse Roen, says to NRK that they wish to have a say in who becomes the new leader of their organization, and that they oppose another political appointment.

Google translation:

Many tears when Janne Kristiansen said goodbye to their employees
1/19/2012

The appointment of Janne Kristiansen as the new manager of PST was also turbulent.

Kristiansen was appointed by Storberget after she had been encouraged to seek the job of the same minister.

Many believed that Storberget had a pure political appointment.

Now ask the employees that they also may be heard when a new chief to be elected.

“Trade unions now expect to be consulted on who should be appointed CEO of PST,” says Lasse Roen.

According to the representative, Roger Berg, who will now serve as chief until further strong support in the organization, and that he therefore should be one of several candidates.

“It is nevertheless important that a new pst manager has experience of leading an emergency response organization PST,” and the least experience in our sector, says Roen.

Does that mean that a new political appointment would be undesirable?

- Yes it will say, answer Roen.

Original article: Mange tårer da Janne Kristiansen tok farvel med sine ansatte
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According to Aftenposten, the special unit of the police force (Internal Affairs) has begun investigating whether Kristiansen’s remarks regarding strictly confidential matters constitute a criminal offense.

Google translation:

Bureau begins investigation of PST-chief statements
19.jan.2012

Retired PST manager Janne Kristiansen’s statements in Parliament Wednesday investigated by the Special Unit for Police Affairs.

It confirms the Special Unit Manager Jan-Egil Presthus to Aftenposten.no.

PST Manager Janne Kristiansen revealed highly classified information in Parliament on Wednesday confirmed Justice Grete Faremo (AP) during a press conference Thursday morning….

Original article: Spesialenheten starter etterforskning av PST-sjefens uttale
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In his compendium, “2083 – A European Declaration of Independence,” Anders Behring Breivik commented on the appointment of Janne Kristiansen, describing her as a Labor Party plant without relevant expertise:

“The head of PST, Janne Kristiansen, has never even worked as an intelligence officer, and is nothing more than a planted Labour Party agent, placed to lead the PST, against the will of most PST employees.”

“2083 – A European Declaration of Independence” [opens pdf]