Icelandic Police

Icelandic Police Lögreglan
Official insignia Official insignia
Motto	Með lögum skal land byggja. A country shall be built by law.
Agency overview
Formed	1778
Employees	ca. 805 (2011)
Jurisdictional structure
National agency	Iceland
Operations jurisdiction	Iceland
Size	103,000 km2
Population	356,991
Governing body	Icelandic government
General nature	Civilian police
Operational structure
Elected officer responsible	Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir, Minister of the Interior
Agency executive	Haraldur Jóhannessen, National Commissioner
Facilities
Police cars and motorcycles	ca. 300+ (2012)
Website
www.logreglan.is

The Icelandic Police (Template:Lang-is, lit. The Law Order) is responsible for law enforcement throughout the country, except in Icelandic territorial waters which fall under the jurisdiction of the Icelandic Coast Guard.^[1] Police affairs in Iceland are the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior^[2] and are administered by the Office of the National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police (Template:Lang-is) on behalf of the ministry.^[3] The organisation is divided into 9 districts, the largest being the Reykjavik Metropolitan Police (Template:Lang-is), which is responsible for the Capital Region^[4] and its total population of around 208,000 people.^[5]

The Icelandic Police can trace its origins to 1778 when the first traces of industry started to appear. Up until that time, the law had been enforced first by individuals permitted to do so by the Althing and then by sýslumenn (sheriffs) and other Royal proxies.^[6]

The first Icelandic policemen are considered to be the morningstar armed night-watchmen of Reykjavík who were commissioned primarily to deter the prisoners of the Reykjavík prison from breaking into the [[{{{1}}}]] ^[].^[7]

In 1803, the first proper policemen were commissioned in Reykjavík as it became a free town or [[{{{1}}}]] ^[]. The first police chief was Rasmus Frydensberg, the town mayor, who hired two former soldiers, Ole Biørn and Vilhelm Nolte, as the first policemen. It was not until shortly after 1891 that policemen were hired in most of the other areas of Iceland.^[8]

In 1933 Alþingi passed the Police Act which provided state participation in financing of police forces. This was done mostly in response to the threat of a communist revolution, whose capabilities had become apparent in violent attempt to force the decisions of the Reykjavík city council, where a large part of the police forces went out of action as a result of physical injury. The act also authorized the Minister of Justice and Ecclesiastical affairs to call out reserves in critical situations.^[9]

In 1972 the state took over command of law enforcement in Iceland, creating the National Police and in 1977 State Criminal Investigation Police started operations under a special Director. The State Investigation Police took over investigations of criminal activities that previously were under the control of the Reykjavík Criminal Court and police commissioners in the Capital Region.^[10] National Commissioner of the Icelandic Police was formed in 1997 and State Criminal Investigation Police was decommissioned.^[11]

On December 2, 2013, a person died due to an armed police operation for the first time in Iceland's modern history. Police had responded to reports of shotgun fire in an apartment in Árbær, a Reykjavík suburb.^[12] Initially tear gas was used in an attempt to subdue the gunman,^[13] a 50-year-old man, but it failed to affect him.

When an armed police team entered the apartment in question, two officers were injured by shotgun fire. One officer was holding a ballistic shield which got hit. The other officer got hit in the head, but was wearing a ballistic helmet. This led to other officers returning fire. The gunman was taken to the hospital, where he died. National Police Commissioner Haraldur Johannessen immediately apologised to the man's family, calling the incident "unprecedented"^[14] The shooter's motives were not immediately clear, though some neighbours reported the gunman was making threats towards them.^[15] An investigation into this incident was launched, and the guns involved on all sides were seized. Counseling was offered to the officers involved.^[16]

#	Title	English translation
1	Ríkislögreglustjóri	National Police Commissioner
2	Vararíkislögreglustjóri	Deputy National Police Commissioner
	Lögreglustjóri	Police Commissioner
	Skólastjóri Lögregluskóla ríkisins	Director of the Police Academy
3	Varalögreglustjóri í Reykjavík	Deputy Commissioner of Reykjavík
	Staðgengill Ríkislögreglustjóra	Deputy National Police Commissioner
4	Yfirlögregluþjónn	(Detective) Chief Superintendent
5	Aðstoðaryfirlögregluþjónn	(Detective) Superintendent
6	Aðalvarðstjóri	Chief Inspector
	Lögreglufulltrúi	Detective Chief Inspector
7	Varðstjóri	Inspector
	Rannsóknarlögreglumaður	Detective Inspector
8	Lögreglumaður	Police Constable
9	Lögreglunemi	Police Cadet
	Afleysingamaður í lögreglu	Temporary Replacement Police Constable
	Héraðslögreglumaður	Temporarily hired constable

The Icelandic police wears black uniforms marked with traditional black and white checked markings and the Icelandic police star. The working uniform varies from a traditional service uniform (shirt and trousers) to tactical overalls. The old traditional Icelandic service uniform is now used as a dress uniform. The trousers patrol officers use are made from a fire-resistant material.^[17]

Although Icelandic police officers carry only extendable batons and MK-4 OC-spray (pepper spray) whilst on duty, they are trained in the use of firearms and are issued firearms in certain situations.^[18] Competition shooting with handguns is common within the police. Some of the patrol vehicles are equipped with firearms, longer batons, riot shields and spike strips; the Reykjavík Metropolitan Police, however, do not have firearms in their vehicles, rather it is primarily the special operations team, the Víkingasveitin, and the police out in the more remote areas of the country.^[19][20]

• Heckler & Koch MP5 Submachine gun
• Heckler & Koch G36 Assault rifle
• Blaser R93–7.62×51 NATO sniper rifle
• Steyr SSG 69 sniper rifle
• Glock 17 pistol
• Mossberg 500 shotgun

In Iceland, police vehicles are white with the Icelandic word for "police", Lögreglan, written in blue letters. The cars also have blue and red stripes with the Icelandic police star overlaying the stripes on the front doors. The sides of the cars are also marked with blue and yellow angular stripes. All markings are of reflective material and the emergency lights are all blue.^[21][22]

The National Police Commissioner owns all of the vehicles used by the police districts around the country. Regional districts rent their vehicles from the National Police Commissioner, paying a per-kilometre charge to cover operating costs, etc. for a period of five years.^[23] The Víkingasveitin uses the Volvo XC90 and Volvo XC70 as well as other unmarked vehicles that have been modified for tactical operations.^[24][25]

• Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
• Ford Focus
• Ford Mondeo
• Ford E-Series
• Chevrolet Tahoe
• Chevrolet Suburban
• Toyota Land Cruiser
• Subaru Legacy
• Subaru Forester
• Yamaha FJR1300
• Nissan Patrol
• Hyundai Santa Fe
• Chevrolet Captiva
• Volvo XC70
• Volvo XC90
• Volvo S80
• Škoda Superb
• Škoda Octavia

There are 9 police district in Iceland which follow the regions of Iceland with the addition of Vestmannaeyjar being its own district. The current police district division is stipulated by the Regulation on Police Districts of the Police Commissioner which was signed 4 December 2014 by Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson who acted as Minister of Justice temporarily within the Ministry of the Interior due to a scandal.^[26] The headquarters are administrative centres for their respective district and regular police stations.^[27]

#	District	Headquarters	Police stations
1	Capital Region	Capital Region	unspecified
Municipal jurisdiction: Reykjavíkurborg, Seltjarnarnesbær, Mosfellsbær, Kjósarhreppur, Hafnarfjarðarkaupstaður, Garðabær and Kópavogsbær.
2	Western Region	Borgarnes	Akranes, Stykkishólmur, Búðardalur, Ólafsvík, Grundarfjörður
Municipal jurisdiction: Akraneskaupstaður, Hvalfjarðarsveit, Skorradalshreppur, Borgarbyggð, Snæfellsbær, Eyja- og Miklaholtshreppur, Grundarfjarðarbær, Helgafellssveit, Stykkishólmsbær and Dalabyggð.
3	Westfjords	Ísafjörður	Patreksfjörður, Hólmavík
Municipal jurisdiction: Reykhólahreppur, Vesturbyggð, Tálknafjarðarhreppur, Bolungarvíkurkaupstaður, Ísafjarðarbær, Súðavíkurhreppur, Árneshreppur, Kaldrananeshreppur and Strandabyggð.
4	Northwestern Region	Sauðárkrókur	Blönduós
Municipal jurisdiction: Húnaþing vestra, Húnavatnshreppur, Blönduósbær, Sveitarfélagið Skagaströnd, Skagabyggð, Sveitarfélagið Skagafjörður and Akrahreppur.
5	Northeastern Region	Akureyri	Húsavík, Siglufjörður, Dalvík, Þórshöfn
Municipal jurisdiction: Fjallabyggð, Dalvíkurbyggð, Hörgársveit, Akureyrarkaupstaður, Eyjafjarðarsveit, Svalbarðsstrandarhreppur, Grýtubakkahreppur, Þingeyjarsveit, Skútustaðahreppur, Norðurþing, Tjörneshreppur, Svalbarðshreppur and Langanesbyggð.
6	Eastern Region	Eskifjörður	Egilsstaðir, Seyðisfjörður, Vopnafjörður, Neskaupstaður, Fáskrúðsfjörður, Djúpivogur, Höfn
Municipal jurisdiction: Vopnafjarðarhreppur, Sveitarfélagið Hornafjörður, Fljótsdalshreppur, Fljótsdalshérað, Borgarfjarðarhreppur, Seyðisfjarðarkaupstaður, Fjarðabyggð, Breiðdalshreppur and Djúpavogshreppur.
7	Southern Region	Hvolsvöllur	Selfoss, Vík, Kirkjubæjarklaustur
Municipal jurisdiction: Skaftárhreppur, Mýrdalshreppur, Rangárþing eystra, Rangárþing ytra, Ásahreppur, Sveitarfélagið Árborg, Flóahreppur, Skeiða- og Gnúpverjahreppur, Hrunamannahreppur, Bláskógabyggð, Grímsnes- og Grafningshreppur, Hveragerðisbær and Sveitarfélagið Ölfus.
8	Vestmannaeyjar	Vestmannaeyjabær	unspecified
Municipal jurisdiction: Vestmannaeyjabær.
9	Southern Peninsula	Reykjanesbær	Grindavík, Sandgerði, Garður, Vogar, Leif Eiriksson Air Terminal
Municipal jurisdiction: Grindavíkurbær, Sandgerðisbær, Sveitarfélagið Garður, Reykjanesbær and Sveitarfélagið Vogar.

In 1939, at the orders of then Prime Minister Hermann Jónasson, the State Police and the [[{{{1}}}]] ^[] (Foreigner monitoring agency) founded a Security department or [[{{{1}}}]] ^[]. ^{[citation needed]}This service was founded primarily to monitor Nazi scientists in Iceland as well as communists. After World War II, this service had the embassies of communist countries under surveillance and compiled lists of communist sympathizers and potential saboteurs or terrorists.^{[citation needed]} It was not until 2006 that this service was officially acknowledged, after having been known to only a handful of men for more than 60 years, after historians were granted limited access to secret documents. ^{[citation needed]}

The National Commissioner's National Security Unit (Greiningardeild Ríkislögreglustjóra) is currently responsible for internal intelligence activities. ^{[citation needed]}

• Military of Iceland
• Directorate of Customs