The Force Continuum: Prevalence and Characteristics of Police Use of Coercive Force

Abstract

This study is among the first to investigate police use of coercive force in Norway; its purpose is to provide a general overview of the prevalence and particularly the characteristics of Norwegian police emergency response officers’ use of force. Self-reported data from police emergency response officers show a prevalence of use of force equivalent to approximately once per month in a variety of situations. In the vast majority of these situations, use of force is concentrated at the lower end of the force continuum, and use of firearms is very rare. Subjects are predominantly male, and the vast majority of them are intoxicated and/or mentally ill. In addition, current law and instructions may include inadequate formal definitions of what constitutes a use of force by the police, at the lower end of the force continuum. Thus, there is a need for a more precise and agreed upon definition as a baseline for reporting.