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This fall, the Outdoor Section in Oslo has sent its own night patrols in Oslo’s heaviest drug environment for the first time.
The objective has been to find out what is happening in the Brugata / Storgata area at that time of day, neither the municipality’s outreach service nor the police have a systematic presence.
Elise Molven and Raymond Johansen Ndure are two of the four municipal search engines that have been present on the largest open Russian scene in Oslo from late afternoon to early morning four days a week.
Aftenposten joined the duo on one of the last shifts of the night on the mapping project. Here we find a heavy drug environment that is not at all affected by pandemics and coronary restrictions. Even the Outdoor Activities Section was surprised at how big the drug scene is when the rest of Oslo sleeps.
Oslo’s open drug environment has gotten bigger, more dangerous and more brutal. This was confirmed by the Foreign Section survey on the drug market in Brugata / Storgata.
– I’m never here in the afternoon. If you have some cash here, it won’t be long before you get robbed, warned Morten Passerud, who has been a part of the capital’s drug scene for 25 years.
At night, violence and the level of conflict increase at Oslo’s most dangerous intersections, drug addicts say.
This is now confirmed by the four selected seekers, who for four weeks have turned the clock to observe and talk to people who apply to the Brugata area between 10 pm and 5 am.
The outdoor section has long had a night patrol that works late on weekends. But these search engines cover the entire center. Now, the Outdoor Section has exclusively followed and observed the environment in the Brugata area during four of the afternoons and nights of the week.
– What our search engines have seen these weeks confirms that there is activity and a 24/7 market in Brugata. But we are surprised by the number, which is higher than we thought, concludes leader Børge Erdal in the Outdoor Section.
A preliminary review of reports and records from the night project establishes:
Aftenposten followed Molven and Ndure on an outreach round on the Oslo night.
All the nightclubs are closed and there are hardly any cars to be heard or seen on the streets of the city center. But within Storgata’s maze of fenced walkways around the tramway construction sites, it’s crowded. Some go up and down Storgata, come and go in Brugata. Others tour the Gunerius Quarter repeatedly while strictly explaining something to someone that is not visible to us.
In the passage directly in front of Gunerius, an entourage of four has camped.
They spread out users’ equipment and belongings on the sidewalk. Some cannot sit up, a woman struggles to get up.
The outdoor section greets and talks to the gang, who then head to the City Mission to hear if they have underpants to spare.
This is the documentation of the Outer Section of Oslo Night:
A large proportion of those who apply for Brugata after dark take stimulant drugs, the Foreign Section survey shows.
Searchers are very careful in an environment where many are under the influence of amphetamines, explains Ndure.
– The use of amphetamines increases the risk of conflicts. There has also been some mental illness, Ndure concludes after four weeks of night work. Many of those who visit the center at night struggle with substance abuse problems and have mental diagnoses.
– This is something we are used to meeting and dealing with, even if you feel a little more lonely at night. There is no one else outside. With that in mind, we always do some additional security assessments.
– How?
– We must be cautious. At night we do not go into all situations, but we keep a little more distance. We use a lot of de-escalation communication to defuse situations. And we have a very low threshold to withdraw if it becomes uncomfortable, explains Raymond Johansen Ndure.
At night, there are also a large number of “stukers”, people who have been taking stimulants for a long time and have developed psychosis and delusions due to lack of sleep and intoxication.
During the night, Aftenposten meets various people from his own world in the center of the city. Some threaten to run in camouflage clothing, others search for hours on the ground.
Shortly after 3 pm we see a young woman walking confused in a pastel-colored bubble jacket and a plastic bag. When we pass her in Storgata, she opens a large bottle of Christmas soda, which is very fizzy. But he doesn’t drink for long. She is on the move again and leads us back as we approach Brugata. At the crossroads he turns sharply to the right, muttering something in the middle between “ADHD” and “Hade.”
Ndure and his partner experienced a serious threatening situation on guard, when they were surprised by two aggressive men in a narrow side street.
– They were very aggressive and amplifying. Their frustration was directed at us. We were in the wrong place at the wrong time, says Ndure.
The searchers were threatened with violence by the two youths and had nowhere to run.
– Fortunately, we knew a little about these two, and one of them finally connected who we were. The situation was resolved, but it was a reminder and has led us to think twice before venturing into narrow streets.
Molven adds that the crews have crept into the parking lot at night.
– At night we are alone on duty. It’s always in the back of our minds, and we conduct additional security assessments and a thorough evaluation of the people we meet, Molven says.
On night shifts, she has experienced ending up in the middle of overdoses and suicide attempts.
As we walk through the second round through Brugata, Molven chooses to swiftly past a new gang that has settled outside the mall.
– It seemed that there was some kind of hammer on the ground in front of them, so I decided to pass.
But despite more riots and a harsher environment, many of the nightlife are also very happy to meet the municipality’s seekers.
A young student says he is only honest with the people in the Outer Section. From everyone else, he keeps his drug problems hidden. He is terrified of being recognized and revealed. Another will not be photographed anonymously by Aftenposten because he fears that his mother will recognize the clothes he is wearing.
They search the environment at night to keep the secrets of the rush. But for seekers, they can finally talk about problems and difficulties.
– Many are surprised and happy to meet us. We’ve met people who were completely new to us, who have wanted to follow up and have made deals with us, explains Molven.
This summer, the Outdoor Activities Section mapped a brutalization of the growing drug environment around Norway’s largest illegal drug market. In an environmental survey, almost half stated that they had been exposed to physical violence in Brugata / Storgata in the past month. Eight out of ten had witnessed violence or the use of weapons.
There is a much higher level of conflict, more “polished” (sale of shoddy goods) and more robberies at night, the comments of the drug addicts showed.
– Many of those we know speak of unpleasant situations and violence. They can feel safe meeting us, says Molven.
And during the pandemic, it has become even more difficult, says a man rolling back and forth in Storgata on an electric scooter.
– I have the definitive impression that lately there has been an increase in theft in the environment. Last night, a gang of nine robbed passers-by right there on the corner of Gunerius, the 30-year-old says from across the street.
It says that people were threatened against the fence, searched and deprived of valuables. Of young men in masks.
– I think they had to hold out for almost an hour. Subsequently, they are also said to have threatened people along the Akerselva. A friend jumped into the river to avoid being robbed. He came in and was completely drenched, says the man who has long sought the drug scene.
– What do you think is the motive for the robbery?
– It probably has something to do with the pandemic. It’s the youth gangs that get bored. Leisure clubs are closed and soccer practice is canceled. And now there are hardly any people on the streets. It doesn’t help that it’s okay to cover your face too.
The 30-year-old has found a way to avoid theft and noise: an electric scooter. Most medications can be obtained at night, but it is much riskier than during the day.
– After 12 o’clock, nobody walks around here if they don’t have to. I never get off my scooter. If someone tries, I’ll keep flying. You can buy most things in the evening, but it may take a little longer. There’s a lot going on when it comes to speed and amphetamines, says the 30-year-old.
– Why have you come here now?
– I came to buy anti-anxiety medication for a friend.
Ndure and Molven believe that the nocturnal intoxication environment may be even greater than the one they encountered during the testing period in October and November. Among other things, they believe that more nightlife guests tend to visit the anesthesia center in Brugata after being in town.
– I think this environment is even greater when it is hotter in spring and summer. And that perhaps more would have appeared had it not been for the crown, says Ndure.
The outdoor section is now working on a report on the experiences of the night patrols this fall. Leader Børge Erdal is open to a permanent settlement in Oslo.
– We definitely see the need for a presence outside also at night. At the same time, we will weigh this against the consideration of safety and additional burdens for employees. We must also consider whether it is us or others who should be present. Perhaps different actors can collaborate on something that in the best possible way guarantees a good offer and protects the safety of employees and users, says Erdal.
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