Erstellt am: 25. 7. 2011 - 14:14 Uhr

Secure vs. open society

Norway's free and open society has been rocked by the terror attacks - but would tighter security have made any difference?

Today's Reality Check

“Norway does not have a helicopter for their SWAT team”.
That was something that Ketil Stensrud, General Manager at Radio NRG in Kristiansand in southern Norway, wanted to share with me.

A lack of police resources?

Up until Friday, the number and distribution of police helicopters in Norway was probably only of interest to a few security consultants and maybe the Norwegian police authorities themselves. But it has become one of many questions Norwegians are pondering over in light of the attacks on the city and at the youth camp. Maybe the lack of aerial support wouldn’t have been so much of an issue before Friday. After all nothing unprecedented could ever happen in a small safe country like Norway could it? In today's reality Check, Ketil told me that the police are certainly on edge today, as they face the angry public mood around the court appearance of Anders Breivik.

The price of an open society

What has struck me most about visiting smaller European cities like Copenhagen and Amsterdam is the openness and freedom of access to public buildings. A friend of mine in the Danish capital once boasted to me that you sometimes see members of the Danish royal family out shopping. That could never happen in London, security issues would not permit it. When you get close to the UK Houses of Parliament there is a massive series of precautions against terror attacks. Huge concrete blocks are there to prevent any damage to the building and to the sitting MPs inside, and there is major police presence in key areas at all times in and around Westminster and the City. Vienna is somewhere in between.

Striking a balance

The attacks in Norway will undoubtedly change the country. However, the fact remains that whatever security measures are taken, the actions of a lone extremist are almost impossible to predict or prevent. Grö Holm from Norwegian National Radio told Elizabeth Alcock that whilst Breivik's actions were horrific and deranged, there was an internal logic to his thinking that shows a rational character with a crazy world view.

I guess the question in the days ahead is, in which direction will internal security turn. There will also be discussions on immigration and curbing right wing extremism and how Norwegians can balance the ideals of an open society with the need to prevent another series of attacks like this from happening in the future.

FM4 Reality Check

Monday to friday from 12 to 14. And after the show via Podcast or fm4.orf.at/realitycheck.