On 15 December 2020, the Norwegian Partner Homicide Committee submitted their report to Minister of Justice and Public Security, Monica Mæland.
The Committee was chaired by NSfK Council member, Professor Ragnhild Hennum.
The government appointed the Partner Homicide Committee by royal resolution on 12 October 2018. The committee has surveyed cases of homicide where the perpetrator is a partner or a former partner, and proposes recommendations to prevent such killings in the future.
– I would like to thank the Partner Homicide Committee and the Secretariat for their important work. We will use this knowledge to strengthen efforts against partner killings. I will now familiarize myself thoroughly with the report, said Minister of Justice and Public Security, Monica Mæland (h).
A survey of 19 partner killings in Norway shows that most occurred after one or more warning signs.
The review of the cases showed that most of the partner killings took place after one or more warnings. The committee has reviewed 19 such killings and found that partner violence occurred before the murder in all 19 cases, and all the victims and perpetrators had one or more living conditions challenges.
Police and other support services have a number of measures available that could reduce the risk of serious partner violence and partner homicide. Despite the fact that partner violence and other violence in close relationships was a topic in the contact with the police and the support services in 15 cases, preventive measures were not implemented in time.
The Committee found several challenges in the police and other support services´ handling of the cases. The police and the support services lacked knowledge and expertise regarding violence in close relationships and other factors that could contribute to an increased risk of partner killing. The Committee also registered several challenges in the communication between the support services and the user, which contributed to violence not being detected, and to the risk of further violence not being assessed or managed.
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