Why Communicate Terror Threats to the Public?

The document analyzes the first extraordinary national terror alert in Norway, issued by the Police Security Service (PST) in July 2014. It identifies three primary intentions behind the communication: to deter potential attackers, to instruct the public on behavior, and to explain the presence of increased security measures. The author argues that while the alert conveyed the reality of the threat, its vague nature and lack of concrete instructions led to unintended consequences, including a climate of suspicion and discrimination against individuals of Middle-Eastern heritage.

• The national terror alert in July 2014 was unprecedented in Norway, as the Police Security Service (PST) typically informs the public through annual threat assessments that do not include immediate warnings.
• The decision to announce the threat was driven by three main functions: deterring alleged terrorists, instructing the public, and explaining the implementation of hard security measures.
• The communication provided by authorities was characterized as vague and lacked specific actionable instructions for citizens, despite describing the threat as credible.
• The alert had unintended societal consequences, specifically creating a risk of discrimination against people of Middle-Eastern appearance because the only specific detail provided was that the suspects were affiliated with an extremist Islamist group in Syria.
• The document cites specific instances of police profiling following the alert, including the detention of a jogger at Oslo Central Station and a passenger at Torp Airport based on skin color and tattoos.
• The announcement served as a necessary explanation for the deployment of armed police in streets, which is exceptional in Norway as the police are generally unarmed.
• Despite extraordinary events, trust in the Norwegian police remains high, with a 2015 survey indicating that 80% of the population has "very or rather high" trust in the police.

APA

Bergersen, S. (2017). Why Communicate Terror Threats to the Public? Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/7686896a-36a9-4c5e-bd09-d01161f478b7/Bergersen - Why Communicate Terror Threats to the Public PRIO Policy Brief 5-2017.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Bergersen, Stine. Why Communicate Terror Threats to the Public? Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2017. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/7686896a-36a9-4c5e-bd09-d01161f478b7/Bergersen - Why Communicate Terror Threats to the Public PRIO Policy Brief 5-2017.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bergersen |first1=Stine |title=Why Communicate Terror Threats to the Public? |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=May 2017 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/7686896a-36a9-4c5e-bd09-d01161f478b7/Bergersen - Why Communicate Terror Threats to the Public PRIO Policy Brief 5-2017.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bergersen2017why, author = {Bergersen, Stine}, title = {{Why Communicate Terror Threats to the Public?}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2017}, month = may, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/7686896a-36a9-4c5e-bd09-d01161f478b7/Bergersen - Why Communicate Terror Threats to the Public PRIO Policy Brief 5-2017.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }