Police smile as violent crime in the capital has decreased by more than 20 percent since last year. The trend is similar in most Norwegian cities, and it’s not only due to bad weather, police say.

Few of Oslo’s police officers can remember a summer quieter than this one. PHOTO: INGAR STORFJELL

Few of Oslo’s police officers can remember a summer quieter than this. And that cannot be attributed to bad memory: Reported violent crime in the capital has actually decreased by 21,8 percent since last year.

Police officers think that the quiet summer is the result of more than the cool and rainy July. The ongoing conflict between the nation’s two most violent gangs, known as the A and B gangs, has been remarkably absent this summer, after many violent incidents and police arrests last year.

Additionally, professional robbers might have been put off by the successful investigation and trial in the aftermath of the so-called NOKAS robbery in 2004, police claim.

Moreover, there have been no more reported brutal rapes after police this spring arrested several men in connection with a series of rapes last winter.

“We are one step closer to harmony,” commented chief constable Anstein Gjengedal.

A similar trend of harmony is noticed in most other Norwegian cities. In the northern city of Troms�, chief constable Truls Fyhn said, “Is has been surprisingly quiet for a surprisingly long time. This is also true for the summer months.”

In the city of Trondheim, however, the situation is different, with a 25 percent increase in violent crimes so far this year.

By Kristin Solberg and Arild Jonassen

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Paramedics refused to take seriously injured Ali (an African) to hospital after he was beaten up in a park in Oslo by another African, allegedly because he had wet his trousers. Ali’s family now fear that he will suffer permanent brain damage. “This would never happen to a white man,” lawyer Abid Q. Raja says.

Girlfriend Kohinoor Nordberg and several shocked witnesses watched as paramedics and police allegedly refused to help Ali. PHOTO: CAROLINE DREFVELIN The ambulance left without the seriously injured man. PHOTO: CAROLINE DREFVELIN Ali now risks permanent brain damage. PHOTO: CAROLINE DREFVELIN

Oslo hospital Ullev�l universitetssykehus launched an internal investigation Tuesday, after a 37-year-old seriously injured man was refused entry into the ambulance. The man, known as Ali, was badly beat up in a park in Oslo Monday afternoon, but paramedics wanted nothing to do with him after he accidentally wet his trousers, according to witnesses.

“This would never happen to a white man,” said prominent lawyer Abid Q. Raja, representing Ali and his family.

Ali was enjoying the sunshine in the park with his girlfriend Kohinoor Norberg Monday afternoon, when he was badly beat up by another man. Witnesses told how Ali fell to the ground with his head first, and was unconscious for several minutes. Shocked witnesses called both the ambulance and police. When the paramedics arrived, however, Ali had accidentally wet his trousers. Hazy, Ali, having gained conscience, stood up and wet his trousers for a second time, according to witnesses.

Witness Caroline Drefvelin was shocked by the paramedics’ behaviour.

“The blood was running form his head, and he seemed very groggy. When he peed by the ambulance, one of the paramedics said ‘You f…ing pig’, and then they refused to take him with them,” she told Aftenposten.no.

Police stood by, but did not get involved when Ali was refused help, according to Ali’s girlfriend Nordberg. She later took a taxi to the hospital with Ali.

“The paramedics didn�t even look at him before they refused to take him with them,” she said.

“Had he been a white woman bleeding in the park, this would not have happened.”

Once in hospital, Ali was in surgery for almost five hours. His family said that doctors have informed them that he might suffer permanent brain damage.

“His injuries are much more serious than we feared. That makes the incident even graver. It is completely incomprehensible how paramedics can leave a man who’s seriously injured,” Nordberg said.

The ambulance personnel in questions have temporarily left their positions, according to the hospital.

“They are not suspended, but it is a way to improve the internal investigation,” said spokesperson Arild �stergaard to Aftenposten.no.

By Kristin Solberg and Jostein Ihleb�k

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Footballer Dagfinn Enerly, whose life was turned upside-down in a 2005 accident, receives NOK 9,5 million in compensation for breaking his neck on the field, the highest ever compensation given to a Norwegian athlete.

Dagfinn Enerly with wife Mona. PHOTO: STIAN LYSBERG SOLUM / SCANPIX

After breaking his neck in a 2005 accidental collision with a team mate on the field, Fredrikstad player Dagfinn Enerly has been tied to a wheel chair.

Almost two years later, the football star whose life was turned upside-down, has received NOK 9,5 million (about USD 1,6 million), the highest financial compensation ever given to a Norwegian athlete after a sports injury, reports newspaper VG.

Through his lawyer, Enerly said that he was “happy” with the compensation, but that he did not want to comment further on the issue.

Meanwhile, team FFK decided to preserve Enerly’s jersey number eight.

By Kristin Solberg

Lifted and published by Korir, API*APN africanpress@chello.no tel +47 932 99 739 or +47 6300 2525 source.aftenposteneng