Police Against Drug Decriminalisation

Police in the Westfjords have issued a statement to the government, present and future, expressing serious concerns about their budget funding and the possibility of decriminalising illicit substances.

Westfjords news service Bæjarins bestu reports that the police are primarily worried about what they see as a lack of resources on hand, especially within the context of the growing population and the increase in tourism.

“At the same time that the population rises and the number of tourists dramatically increase each year, all year round, police officers are reduced as well as the budget for police work,” the statement reads in part. “This has created a situation where the police workload has greatly increased, police vehicles have decreased, and it isn’t even possible to renew our car fleet with the security of the police in the forefront.”

In addition, the police expressed serious concerns about the idea of decriminalising some or all illicit substances in Iceland. They encourage the government yet to be to prevent any such efforts in this direction.

The Minister of Health has on several occasions expressed openness to the idea of decriminalising drugs, and a Ministry workgroup recently put forward that the law should expressly state that charges of simple possession will not lead to jail time.