A nationwide IT failure in Norway’s police systems disrupted operations across multiple sectors on Wednesday morning, affecting a court case in Oslo, causing long lines at Gardermoen airport and forcing banks to adjust services. The technical outage began around 8:30 AM local time and lasted for several hours, according to reports from affected institutions.
In Oslo, a criminal trial was delayed after police systems used for evidence submission and procedural checks failed to function. The court was unable to access digital case files, leading to a postponement of proceedings. A spokesperson for the Oslo District Court confirmed that the disruption forced the rescheduling of at least one case scheduled for that day.
At Oslo Gardermoen Airport, travelers faced extended waiting times as police systems used for background checks and security verifications experienced downtime. Passengers reported delays in boarding and security screening, with some missing connecting flights. Airport authorities later advised travelers to arrive earlier than usual to account for potential delays.
Banks across the country also reported technical issues linked to the police IT failure. Several institutions temporarily suspended digital ID verification and certain online services that rely on police databases. A major bank confirmed that some customers were unable to complete transactions requiring police clearance until the systems were restored.
Police officials attributed the outage to a centralized server failure within their national IT infrastructure. No cyberattack has been reported, and authorities stated that restoration efforts were underway. By early afternoon, most services had resumed normal operations, though some residual delays persisted in court and banking sectors.
Source: digi.no