Fail: Media helicopter beat police to Norway shooting scene by as much as 25 minutes

Next time, they should give the police a ride. The entire liberal government of Norway should be forced to resign for incompetence. The police had to ask permission to get their guns. Then, their sole helicopter pilot was on vacation. They tried to take a boat, but it broke down. Now that the shooter has surrendered, he only faces 21 years in a luxury prison.

(The Globe and Mail)-

A media helicopter was already hovering over the island when police arrived. Marius Arnesen, a cameraman for broadcaster NRK who shot video of the massacre at Utoya island, told The Associated Press that his helicopter arrived sometime between 6 p.m. and 6:10 p.m. Police say got to the island at 6:25 p.m.

Police were already grappling with the wide damage inflicted by a bomb in the downtown government quarter that Mr. Breivik claims to have set off. When word of the shooting came, police drove rather than take a helicopter because the crew of the sole chopper available to them was on vacation. Then the first boat they tried to take to the lake island broke down.

76 Dead in Norway, Shooter Faces Only 21 Year Maximum Prison Sentence

Norway is a very liberal country. The Labor Party, which leads a coalition government, is on the left, even for liberal Norway. Under Norway's criminal justice system, killing over 70 people will lead to a maximum of 21 years in prison.

The person suspected of carrying out terrorist attacks in Norway will be charged for terrorist activity, while the maximum prison sentence in Norway is 21 years, Norway police said Saturday.

Over ninety people have been killed in the two attacks since Friday.

Police have confirmed that arrested 32-year-old Norwegian, Anders Behring Breivik, was involved both in the explosion in Oslo, and in a shooting at a youth summer camp on Utoya Island.