The Norwegian Royal Court has confirmed this week that new security measures are being put in place from this week. This new perimeter fencing around the Palace Park will be completed by the autumn of 2021.
In a statement, the Royal Court said: “The goal is to prevent cars that have not been approved in advance from driving into the park and up to the Castle. The measures will not prevent pedestrians or cyclists, nor will they hinder access to the park. The audience must have the same access to the Palace Park as before.”
As a main principle, the security measures will follow the outer boundary of the Palace Park, and will consist of gates, bollards, fences and walls, depending on the area in question. The natural terrain will be utilized to the greatest extent possible. The work could lead to changes in walking and driving patterns in and around the park during periods. This will be signposted specifically on site. The work will also cause some noise, but it will not take place at night.
Several Norwegian royal properties will be secured against terror at a cost of £55 million over the next years and the building of the security-facilities will soon begin. The project has met criticism as it has taken too long to put in place. But now it happens seven years after the worst terrorist attack on Norwegian soil in peacetime; the royal properties will finally be secured.
Such the situation is today, the palace in Oslo is poorly secured. The building is guarded by armed soldiers all day from His Majesty the King’s guard, but there are no obstacles for cars to arrive at the palace. Parts of the castle park are fenced, but about 2/3 of the park is easily accessible by car.
During major events such as royal birthdays and national parades, there have therefore had to be installed temporary terror-fences around the castle and the central places you can enter the castle park by car. There has never been a threatening situation during such significant events where members of the royal family have been present.
"; n.innerHTML = "window._taboola = window._taboola || [];_taboola.push({mode:'thumbnails-a', container:'taboola-below-article-thumbnails', placement:'Below Article Thumbnails', target_type: 'mix'});"; insertAfter(t, e); insertAfter(n, t) }injectWidgetByMarker('tbmarker');
