User:Frayae/sandbox/Crime in Iceland

Crime in Iceland is low.

https://www.gunpolicy.org/firearms/region/iceland https://www.osac.gov/pages/ContentReportDetails.aspx?cid=21376 https://grapevine.is/mag/articles/2011/09/27/doingtimeiniceland/

Murder
The average murder rate in Iceland is 20 times less than the world average at an average of 1.8 yearly, and the country has the 3rd least murders of any country, behind Liechtenstein and Singapore.

Axlar-Björn (Björn Pétursson) was the only known serial killer in Iceland's history, who confessed to killing 18 people in the 16th century.

One of the most controversial cases is that of Guðmundur Einarsson and Geirfinnur Einarsson who disappeared in 1974. At the time six men were convicted of their murder, but it is widely believed that their confessions were forced, and the instigation is still ongoing.

Guns
Iceland has a population of around 330,000, of which 90,000 are gun owners. This ranks Iceland as 15th in the world for legal per capita gun ownership. Prospective gun owners undergo background checks, attend a safety course, practical shooting tests and a written exam, have a doctor conduct medical and psychiatric checks, and attend an interview with the chief of police, before being licensed for a firearm. Preparing for the exam can take over a year. Police in Iceland do not carry firearms, except for the special "Viking Squad" unit. Iceland's police have only ever shot one person, during an incident in 2013. A 59 year old man was discharging a shotgun in his apartment, when police arrived he shot at them several times, injuring two, before he was killed by armed officers. One of the most notable recent murders was that of Birna Brjánsdóttir.

Punishment
Capital punishment in Iceland was practiced until 1830. Capital punishment was legally abolished in 1928. The maximum punishment in the Icelandic penal system is Life imprisonment, which is used to sanction people who commit murder, genocide, qualified hostage-taking, and the act of arranging a war against Iceland with foreign powers. Iceland maintains that these categories are sufficient to prosecute war criminals.

In fiction
Crime fiction books are very popular in Iceland.