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THE NORWEGIAN POLICE SERVICE
M/1977
embroidered		 M/1995
embroidered		 M/1996 left M/1996 right M/1996 left
english edition		 M/1996 chest
 

THE NORWEGIAN POLICE SERVICE
Originally the Norwegian police was organised at the municipal level while the chiefs of police were appointed by the King. In 1936, however, legislation making police services the direct responsibility of the state was adopted, and the Police Service became centrally administered by the Ministry of Justice and Police. In 2000 the Police Directorate was made the superior agency of all police units, except of the Security Service (POT). The Police Directorate and the Security Service (POT) are administered by the the Ministry of Justice and Police.

The Police Service is divided into 54 districts, each of which is headed by the Chief of Police. A police district has local headquarters and usually several police stations. Districts outside Oslo are further divided into 370 "lensmann" (rural police) districts. Moreover, there is a special police force on Svalbard which is headed bt the District Governor. There are plans to reduce the number of police districts to 28.

There are also a number of central police institutions which serve the country at the National level:
*The National Bureau of Crime Investigation (Kripos)
*The Mobile Police (UP)
*The National Police Academy (PHS)
*The National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime (Økokrim).
*The Norwegian Police Security Service (POT)
*The Police Equipment Service (PMT)
*The Police Computing Service

There are approximately 10,000 employees in the Police Service. Oslo Police District is by far the largest police unit in the country with a staff of more than 2,150.

The Police Emblem: The design of the emblem of the police was laid down in the Royal Decree of 13 March 1936, and was first utilised in 1937 when the police services were reorganised. The first patch style came in 1963 and the second style in 1977. These patches were only worn on left arm.

In August 1994 the emblem was modernised. There were made patches with the new emblem already prior to the Winter Olympics at Lillehammer in February 1994, but these patches were not approved and therefore withdrawn. While waiting for patches with the new emblem, they issued the third style patches with the old emblem in 1995.

In January 1996 the first official style patches with the new emblem were issued. They were made in both left and right arm styles. In 2000 there were made some few english edition pathces to be used by Norwegian police officers working for UN i Kosovo.

The emblem depicts the national coat-of-arms flanked by two fasces, which are an ancient Roman symbol of authority.