The Norwegian government has unveiled a major legal proposal to make it easier for police to confiscate luxury goods and assets from suspected criminals. Justice and Emergency Preparedness Minister Astri Aas-Hansen presented the plan at the Grønland police station in Oslo, flanked by seized items like Hublot watches and designer goods. The move targets what authorities call a criminal economy worth an estimated 80 billion kroner annually.
The core of the proposal is a new system called 'independent confiscation.' It aims to lower the legal burden of proof required for asset seizure. Currently, confiscation requires proving a crime 'beyond reasonable doubt' and linking assets to a specific criminal act. The new rules would allow seizure of items deemed 'most likely' to stem from criminal activity, even without proof of a specific offense.
Minister Aas-Hansen was direct about the goal. 'Crime should not pay,' she stated. 'It should not be possible to walk around with watches, bags, and other status symbols that come from crime. We must therefore take these values from criminals.' Police data shows about 220 million kroner has been seized so far this year. Officials argue the current system is too slow and often forces them to return obviously illicit gains.
Inge Svae-Grotli, Assistant Chief at the National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime, welcomed the change. 'We are convinced this will help,' she said. The agency has recently established a reinforced confiscation unit and deployed 24 new specialist investigators across six regions.
Police directly link luxury items to youth recruitment into gangs. Frode Larsen, head of the intelligence and investigation unit in Oslo, explained the dynamic. 'Criminal networks advertise with status symbols to get young people into violent assignments. If we manage to confiscate the status symbols, we might prevent this from seeming so exciting to youth.'
The proposed law change is part of a broader strategy. A second proposal for more efficient case processing rules is planned for spring. The entire 'independent confiscation' scheme is scheduled to take effect in the summer of 2026. This legislative push occurs alongside operational expansions within the police and Ăkokrim, signaling a coordinated crackdown on the financial incentives of crime.
From a policy perspective, this represents a notable shift in Norwegian law enforcement priorities toward asset denial. It reflects growing political concern over organized crime's visibility and recruitment power in urban areas like Oslo. The focus on status symbols acknowledges crime as not just an economic activity but a social one with cultural trappings. The government is betting that making crime less profitable and less glamorous will reduce its appeal. The real test will be in the implementation and whether the new, lower evidentiary standards withstand legal challenges in the courts.