The Norwegian government has floated the idea of erecting a high fence along the border with Russia in northern Norway.
This is reported by the Norwegian public service media NRK.
The proposal comes from Justice Minister Emilie Menger Mehl, who has been inspired by Finland.
Finland is in the process of constructing a 200-kilometer fence along its 1340-kilometer border with Russia.
"The border fence is really interesting. Not just because it can act as a deterrent, but also because it contains sensors and technology that allow detection of people moving near the border". says Emilie Menger Mehl to NRK.
"It (a border fence) is a measure that could become relevant - either along the entire border or parts of it,".
The border between Norway and Russia is nearly 200 kilometers long.
The Norwegian Justice Minister, who comes from the centrist Centre Party, visited Finland this summer.
There, she saw parts of the Finnish border fence. The idea of a border fence in Norway is not entirely new. In 2016, Norway built a 200-meter long fence at the Storskog border crossing with Russia.
This was due to large refugee flows, which in 2015 meant that 5000 people entered Norway from Russia, among other things.
Emilie Menger Mehl says that they are currently looking at several different measures.
"It can involve increased staffing, border surveillance, and measures at the Storskog border to handle the activity, she says.
The Justice Minister is supported by Ellen Katrine Hætta, who is the police director in the Finnmark region of northern Norway.
"I think there are some places along the border where we could have a fence. Without specifying which areas."
"I think it would be a deterrent for people who want to enter Norway illegally or travel illegally from Norway to Russia," says the police director.
The proposal for a Norwegian border fence comes even though the number of illegal crossings appears to be at a very low level.
Last year, Norwegian police reported that there had been three illegal crossings of the border from Norway to Russia since the war in Ukraine broke out. This happened at the end of February 2022, when Russian forces invaded Ukraine.
