Youth crime in Oslo is declining, says the Chief of Police in Oslo, referring to the police’s newly released crime report statistics for the first half of 2026.
The figures nevertheless show that the most serious violence among young people has doubled during the same period.
According to the statistics, 1,446 reports involving one or more suspects aged 10–17 were registered in the Oslo Police District during the first half of this year. This represents a decline of only 2 per cent compared with the same period last year, and is 10 per cent below the average for the past three years.
At the same time, 38 cases of aggravated violence involving children and young people were reported during the first half of the year, double the number recorded during the same period last year, and 33 per cent higher than the average for the preceding three years. At least nine of the most serious cases involved acts of violence carried out for payment, according to the police.
Chief of Police Ida Melbo Øystese nevertheless describes the development as encouraging.
– It is encouraging that the figures for youth crime are moving downwards, and it is particularly encouraging that we are seeing a marked decline in the number of persons under the age of 15 who commit criminal offences, she says in a press release.
At the same time, Øystese expresses concern about the other part of the picture.
– The fact that young people are being recruited digitally to plan and carry out acts of violence is something the police take very seriously. We are working purposefully together with our partners to uncover and solve cases involving violence as a commodity, she says.
The category “violence among children and young people”, which covers less serious violent offences, declined by 14 per cent compared with last year and stood 22 per cent below the three-year average. A total of 1,034 persons aged between 10 and 18 were registered with at least one reported offence, down 9 per cent from last year. Seventy-six per cent of suspects under the age of 18 were boys.
The decline in the total number of reported offences thus conceals a sharp increase in the most serious category of violence – something that does not become apparent until one examines the underlying statistical data behind the headline.