The Gun Plot Thickens?

According to a Norwegian military spokesman the number of MP5 machine guns acquired for the Icelandic police was 250 guns and not 150 as maintained by the Icelandic chief of police and were not free of charge but cost 11,5 million ISK. The public and the media remain puzzled as to what exactly is going on.  

The news story that ran this week on the Icelandic police having received 150 MP5 machine guns from Norway caused a stir in the country. Newspaper DV were first to run a story on 150 machine guns being purchased by the police without any public statement to this fact. 

No history of armed officers

Regular police officers in Iceland have until now not been armed except for in very serious or violent situations when a special armed Viking squad has been called out. The crime rate is extremely low in Iceland compared to the rest of the world - police only shot dead the first person in the country's history in 2013. Now it seems 150 machine guns will be distributed to police stations around the country. 

Police do not carry guns in Iceland and do not keep them in police vehicles and have actually had pretty good PR going on their instagram site which made world news due to pictures of a very humane policeforce who didn't take themselves too seriously and took selfies skateboarding, holding puppies and babies or eating ice-cream. 

The debate rages in Iceland this week to whether the Icelandic police force actually needs guns to combat increased violence or possible threat of terrorism, or whether violence will escalate through a relatively peaceful society. 

Icelandic coastguard was the intermediary

The Icelandic chief of police stated this week that the guns were a gift from Norway but now Norway have, upon questioning by media, disclosed that the guns did in fact cost 11,5 million ISK and that the number of guns were 250 and not 150. 

In a press release from the Icelandic coast guard yesterday they stated that they were intermediaries in ordering new weopons for the Icelandic police and at the same time renewed their own weapons.

Photo/Instagram Lögreglan on Instagram The Reykjavík Police Force made world news to to their cool Instagram account

Conflicting information

The Icelandic Police also released a statement yesterday in light of this new information where they stuck to their story of having received 150 MP5 machine guns free of charge from the Icelandic Coast Guard, who received them from Norway. "The National Icelandic Police Force declared interest in acquiring these weapons and that a letter to the Norwegian authorities of whether there was any cost to the weapons had been unanswered," the press release states. 

"In January 2014 we received information from the Icelandic Coast Guard that the weapons were on their way to Iceland and that the policeforce could receive 150 MP5's. The guns are still with the Icelandic Coast Guard and the policeforce has neither received them or come to an agreement on any payment for them. However, the policeforce borrowed 35 MP5's for practice at the secured area at the former Keflavík army base but those guns have now been returned." The statement added that if, indeed, the police force have to pay for the guns, they will not be taking them. 

So far, none of the guns have been handed out to any police stations in Iceland and the matter is being discussed at Parliament. Neither Minister for the Interior Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir or Minister of Foreign Affairs Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson have made any statements on the matter. 

It seems, therefore, that MP5 mystery remains unsolved, for the time being.