A mother and her two teenage daughters have installed barbed wire around their balcony after multiple break-in attempts at their Kristiansand apartment. The family captured video evidence showing an unknown man climbing onto their balcony and trying to enter their home.
Birgit Kvarsnes-Olsen and her daughters, aged 15 and 18, experienced several disturbing incidents over the past six months. They repeatedly found evidence of someone entering their central Kristiansand apartment through the balcony door.
The family installed a security camera and recorded footage over the weekend. The video shows a man with a large scarf around his head climbing over the fence and attempting to open their locked door around 4 AM.
"It's incredibly frightening," Kvarsnes-Olsen said in a statement. She reported the incidents to police and submitted video evidence but feels authorities aren't taking her seriously.
Her 15-year-old daughter shared the video on TikTok, which has now received nearly 240,000 views. "We're sharing this because we don't feel the police are helping us," Kvarsnes-Olsen explained.
The most terrifying incident occurred in October when the 15-year-old woke to find a stranger sitting on her bed. "She was quite confused - it was 4 AM," her mother recalled.
Despite having both video evidence and fingerprints, the family feels police haven't responded adequately. Officers haven't visited their home to conduct investigations, according to Kvarsnes-Olsen.
Police confirmed they received the complaint and reviewed the video. Ole-Martin Paulsen, legal advisor for Agder police district, said the case will be investigated to identify who visited the address and why.
"Police received a complaint on November 3 about reckless behavior, including video of the incident," Paulsen stated. "This is a case police will investigate with the aim of finding out who visited the address and the background for this."
He added that police aren't aware of similar incidents in the area but encouraged people to contact authorities if strangers attempt to enter private homes.
The family previously lived with their balcony door unlocked, considering their apartment building in a safe area. They began noticing the door standing open in mornings this summer but assumed they'd forgotten to lock it.
In August, they discovered a face print on their balcony window. Now, in addition to the security camera, the girls' grandfather is installing barbed wire around the balcony.
Police expressed regret that the family feels unsupported. "It's unfortunate to hear the family has an experience of lacking follow-up and presence," Paulsen said.
The situation highlights how vulnerable residents can feel when they believe authorities aren't addressing legitimate safety concerns, even in generally safe Norwegian communities.