The Social Democrats have decided to reject Minister of Justice Björn Bjarnason’s plans to divide the jurisdiction of the Sudurnes police department on Reykjanes peninsula, which includes customs control at Keflavík International Airport.
According to Fréttabladid, the Social Democrats—which belong to Iceland’s coalition government along with the Independence Party of which Bjarnason is a member—held a meeting to discuss these plans on Monday and following their meeting decided to vote against them.
The proposed changes to the Sudurnes police department involve moving the control of customs from the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Finance, moving the control of safety issues in relation to aviation protection at Keflavík Airport to the Ministry of Transport, while policing and boarder control will remain the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice.
Sudurnes Chief of Police Jóhann R. Benediktsson has expressed his disapproval of these plans as have his subordinates in the jurisdiction.
According to Fréttabladid, the Social Democrats believe the changes are unwise and not in keeping with reports from the National Audit Office on measures to be taken against the importation of illegal substances.
The Social Democrats allegedly find a comprehensive policy of customs for the entire country valid for a few more years sensible. The proposed changes only apply to the Sudurnes police department, which they consider unprofessional.
