The Norwegian Bureau of Public Prosecutions has compiled a report in response to a parliamentary question posed by Mari Holm Lønseth of the Conservative Party to Justice Minister Astri Aas-Hansen. The report highlights that the majority of closed cases in recent years involve economic matters, with a marked increase from 4,978 cases closed in 2021 to 10,275 cases closed last year due to lack of capacity. This rise raises concerns about the ability of law enforcement to address economic crimes effectively.

The statistics indicate that 55 percent of the cases closed last year had a suspect identified, remaining consistent with data from the previous year. Notably, in economic crimes, only 40 percent of these cases had suspects, while a staggering 81 percent of violent crimes did. This disparity suggests a greater challenge in pursuing economic crime suspects within the limited resources available to the police, which may impact overall crime rates and public trust in law enforcement.

However, it is important to note that the statistics do not account for the actual likelihood of an offense being committed or whether the identified suspects are indeed guilty of the crimes alleged. This raises critical questions about the integrity of the data and the decisions made by law enforcement agencies under pressure from rising case loads, emphasizing the need for systemic reforms and resource allocation in the justice system to effectively deal with increasing crime rates, especially in the economic sector.