We’ve all heard of the “New Swedes” and the “New Danes” and the “New Norwegians” — the preferred politically correct euphemisms for “Third-World Immigrants” in the various countries that have invited them in en masse. But what about the sole occupation in which these newbies far outstrip the natives of their host countries? “New Criminals” might be a more apt designation.

Our Norwegian correspondent The Observer has translated an article about the depredations of the New Criminals in one region of Norway. He includes this introduction:

This article concerns immigrants in Telemark (a county in the southern part of Norway) and the effect their presence has on the local crime statistics. It should come as no surprise that the criminals among them commit more crimes than the rest of the population.

If you check out these previous articles that deal with the issue of crime and immigrants in Norway, you can see a clear pattern begin to emerge:

• Culturally Enriched Domestic Violence in Oslo
• Culturally Enriched Domestic Abuse in Sandnes
• The Culturally Enriched Dope Dealers of Oslo
• Norway’s Most Wanted

How on earth would Norway cope without this invaluable enrichment?

The translated article from TA.no:

Domestic violence very common

Skien: Immigrants commit more crime than the general population in Telemark, and they are overrepresented in cases of domestic violence.

A new report released by Telemark Police District shows that between 11 and 22 percent of all individuals that are suspected, charged and convicted of crime (depending on the type of crimes) in the police precinct from January 2007 to November 2012 are immigrants,

Reported cases of violence, theft and drugs are higher among individuals with immigrant backgrounds than for the rest of the population.

A need for cooperation

“The report was requested by Police Commissioner, Rita Kilvær who wanted something tangible to base the strategic cooperation between the public sector services in Telemark on. Presently there are no formal cooperation between the municipalities, NAV, the County Governor, the police and the Directorate of Integration and Diversity (IMDi). The commissioner believes that this should be the case,” says the strategic analyst Mariann Deila Bryn from the intelligence and analysis division of the Telemark Police District.

Just as serious

“Perhaps different cultural backgrounds means higher tolerance for violence, but violence is just as serious when it affects a Somali woman as when it happens to an ethnic Norwegian. Immigrant children are just as traumatized by violence as others,” says the head of the organization Alternative to Violence (ATV), Øivind Aschjem. He hopes the findings in the report result in more perpetrators being forced to attend ATV meetings.

“I am glad that the police have informed us of the prevalence of domestic violence. This means that we can narrow down our efforts.”

Information about boundaries

“Very little research has been done to uncover the extent and cause of violence within the immigrant community. National studies indicate that immigrant children are more likely to experience domestic violence than other children. There is a general consensus among researchers that more empirical data is needed. If we are going to solve the problem we need to know the root cause of the violence,” says Deila Bryn.

According to the Centre for Social Medicine in Skien, the official Norwegian view on violence has been a part of the introduction program for immigrants since 2005. The Centre has noticed that immigrants are more inclined to seek advice on alternative disciplinary methods to corporal punishment, which can then be relied upon in a family setting.

Causes

The reason for the high level of violence among immigrants are manifold, according to the report. Somalis, Iraqis (Kurds), Kosovo Albanians and Serbs, ethnic groups that are topping the violence statistics, have all fled from war and persecution. Approximately 80 percent of the immigrants that have been examined at the Centre for Social Medicine in Skien municipality have experienced traumatic events in their native countries. The lack of social networks in Norway, lack of jobs, poor economy and poor Norwegian language skills can be contributing factors to loss of self-esteem and loss of identity, according to the report.

Immigrants in the county

Overall number: More than ten percent of the residents in Telemark County are immigrants or Norwegian-born to immigrant parents. Polish immigrants are the largest group, followed by Somalis and Iraqis.

Stand out: Immigrants from Somalia, Iraq, Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro are disproportionately represented on crime statistics in Telemark. Immigrants from these countries are on the top three list when it comes to violence, theft and drug crime.

Domestic violence: Immigrants from Iraq stand out with a high proportion of perpetrators and victims. Twenty percent of children affected by domestic violence in Telemark between 2007 and 2012 have immigrant backgrounds. The majority of these children are from Somalia, Myanmar, Iraq and Iran.

Youths: Young immigrants are overrepresented in relation to their numbers and the overrepresentation is greatest when it comes to incidents of reported violence. The number of youths arrested for violence is more than three times higher than for the rest of the population.

Unaccompanied refugees: Since 2009 Telemark has received 162 unaccompanied minor refugees. Skien has accepted most of them. More than 70 percent hail from Afghanistan.

Source: Crime perpetrated by immigrants and the general population in Telemark – Telemark Police District.

For a complete listing of previous enrichment news, see The Cultural Enrichment Archives.