More community police officers work with the community
Our community police officers have now become four. This has greatly strengthened the service, as there were previously only two. The officers visit schools here in Hafnarfjörður and Garðabær, educating our young people on Mondays and Tuesdays. „We work with the community,“ says Dagný Karlsdóttir, a community police officer.
Bridging the gap between residents and the police
Our community police officers have now become four. This has greatly strengthened the work, as there were previously only two. They visit schools here in Hafnarfjörður and Garðabær, educating our young people on Mondays and Tuesdays. During the spring, the Hafnarfjörður community police officers visited all Year 7 classes in the town's primary schools and provided the pupils with education on violence, carrying weapons, bullying and threats. They now visit Year 8, 9 and 10.
Policewomen Dagný Karlsdóttir and Ýr Steinþórsdóttir were very well received when they visited the Year 8 classes at Öldutúnsskóli this morning. They posed questions to the classes and got the pupils to ask questions and reflect on their job and on society.
The youth have various concerns.
„Can parents be sued for taking and publishing photos of a person they don't want? What's the strangest thing you've experienced in your job?“ The teenagers asked many questions and received answers.
Every Tuesday, they visit primary school pupils to increase visibility and promote the well-being and safety of everyone in our community. These visits will continue until the spring. They received many questions.
Community policing is a preventative initiative of the police, which the City of Hafnarfjörður supports with all available resources.
Dagný Karlsdóttir and Ýr Steinþórsdóttir, community police officers, at Öldutúnsskóli this morning.
Cooperation of all is important
Our community police officers carry out this community policing alongside their regular policing duties. Three are in 50% roles as community police officers and the fourth is in a 25% role. They visit youth clubs, care homes and nurseries to connect with the community. Since the spring, they have been on a special initiative to educate young people, and the initiative is intended as a way to improve the service and strengthen ties with the public, particularly the younger generation.
„We work with the community here in Hafnarfjörður and address current issues and challenges. We want to get closer to the community, enhance visibility and cooperation between all parties involved,“ says Dagný Karlsdóttir, community police officer.
„We are an important link in the implementation of the Well-being of Future Generations Act and we take our role in that seriously and encourage everyone else to do so too. Everyone who works with children and young people, and perhaps especially the parents themselves,“ she says. A good connection with the community increases the chances that people will contact the police, and think about them and their work before things get out of hand.
„The young people in Hafnarfjörður are very interested in our work and projects,“ says Dagný. The police's education for young people covers topics such as the age of criminal responsibility, carrying weapons, threats on the internet, online chat, and the circulation of sensitive personal images. There are four police stations in the capital region, and community officers at all of them. They educate and build relationships with residents and have been doing so since 2019.
- See the news from this spring here