While they will still arrest people for breaking drug laws, the police say their investigative emphasis has shifted to larger matters.
Vísir reports that capital area police no longer have a drug crimes division within their ranks. Rather, investigations of drug crimes have been brought under the umbrella of “investigation of organised crime”, which includes many more offenses than drug crimes.
As Karl Steinar Valsson, Iceland’s liaison officer with Europol, told reporters, the sun has set on earmarking police resources to focus exclusively on drug crimes.
“Investigating drug crimes on their own is obsolete thinking,” he told reporters. “It’s not conducive to authorities making any headway.”
Europol is reportedly working more closely with Icelandic law enforcement and customs authorities, providing information on those matters Europol considers most important. In Iceland’s case, law enforcement is seeking to place greater emphasis on internet crime and fighting human trafficking.
As reported, a new report from the US Department of State on global human trafficking has called Iceland “a destination and transit country for women subjected to sex trafficking and men and women subjected to labor trafficking.” Amongst the report’s criticisms was that law enforcement needs to do more when it comes to investigating human trafficking.
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