Norway presents new intelligence chief
Marie Benedicte Bjørnland, 47,
has been named the new head of Norway's security service, PST (Politiets sikkerhetstjeneste).
Justice Minister Grete Faremo heaped praise
on Bjørnland at a Friday press conference for her work as head of the Vestfold
police district.
“You have been the chief of one the best run
police districts in the country, but now you will take on other important
tasks. I am very confident that you are the right person for this job,” said
the minister.
A popular police chief, Bjørnland was known
during her time in Vestfold for her transparent policies and lively presence on
social media site Twitter, an activity she may now have to reconsider.
“I haven’t yet evaluated if I’ll continue to
have a Twitter account, we’ll have to discuss that,” she said.
Bjørnland's predecessor in the post, Janne
Kristiansen, resigned in January over an alleged breach of confidentiality
after she told parliament that Norway had agents operating in Pakistan.
But Bjørnland said she was undeterred by the
fact that several of her predecessors had landed in hot water.
"I wouldn't have applied for this job
if I'd feared it," she said.
Bjørnland was born in Kristiansand and grew
up in Skien and Porsgrunn. After attaining a law degree from the University of
Oslo, she went on to hold a number of senior police positions in Tønsberg and,
later, Vestfold.
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