Krysspress og motstridende forventninger: politiets respons på kritikken etter 22. juli-angrepene

This chapter examines how senior police leaders handled public criticism in the months following the 22 July 2011 terrorist attacks, and how their communication can be understood in light of competing expectations and principles of transitional justice. Drawing on the Public Service Bargains framework and a combined accountability–learning perspective, the chapter analyses police leaders’ statements in news media and press conferences during autumn and winter 2011– 2012. The analysis shows that police leaders operated under cross-pressure from three exchange relationships: the political leadership of the Ministry of Justice, the general public—particularly the bereaved—and their own employees. This shaped their communication in ways that emphasized the efforts of police personnel and problematized external criticism, but that simultaneously weakened public trust in the police. Over time, police messaging shifted from implicit avoidance of accountability toward a rhetoric of learning, yet without clear acknowledgment of responsibility for what went wrong. The internal police evaluation reinforced this pattern by prioritizing learning over accountability, while the 22 July Commission identified substantial discrepancies between police self-assessment and external evaluations. Viewed through the lens of transitional justice, the chapter shows that early and explicit recognition is crucial for restoring trust. It concludes that accountability and learning must be communicated as complementary elements in the aftermath of terrorist attacks.