Not overly defending the Norway SWAT team...but they had multiple things going against them. The emergency lines were clogged with calls due to the explosion in Oslo, they had to drive to the wharf due to the lack of an a avilable Helo, and once they got to their all the boats were out trying to rescue the youngsters who were trying to swim to safety.
The real shame is that there apparently wasn’t a security detail on the island. Even if it was just a couple renta cops with service revolvers and radios they probably could have helped and greatly reduced the casualties.
Adding those facts into the scenario make it more understandable. Thanks.
I was so focused on the island massacre when reading this, I wasn’t thinking about the real-world impact of the bombing downtown, too. And I imagine that in the first hours, as on 9/11, there’s an incredible pressure from wondering how many attacks are going to follow-on and how to have first responders positioned just in case.
OTOH, the bombing would have raised the stakes when reports started coming in that something was also occurring at the summer camp.
I have lived in coastal areas and the police had many marine assets, including dedicated marine patrols, as well as access to Navy and Coast Guard assets. I can’t imagine the police not having ready boats to get out to the island. But, as you point out, these stories are always more complicated than it may appear at first blush.
I am in Oslo and watching the police press conference now and they said he had lots of ammunition left when they arrested him. They clarified the timeline as one hour between the first call and when he was taken. The said there was one policeman on duty at the boat launch when the shooting started.