The Norwegian Business and Industry Security Council (NSR) serves the Norwegian business sector in an advisory capacity on matters relating to crime, and works actively to prevent loss.

The NSR has been established by the Norwegian business sector as part of a unified effort to combat criminal activity. The NSR seeks to cooperate with the relevant government authorities to design and implement the most effective guidelines and restrictions in this context. The public and the private sectors share a responsibility to fight and prevent criminal activities. The NSR provides a platform for the private sector in these efforts.

Costs to society
Criminal activity drains Norwegian society and companies of huge amounts of money each year. Few companies are spared. There is reason to believe that these problems will only worsen in the years to come. A growing proportion of these costs are affecting business and industry directly, and it is essential for individual companies and the sector as a whole that something is done to stem this development. Much can be achieved by introducing effective initiatives to enhance crime prevention and increase awareness – but doing this successfully takes knowledge.

Attitudes and ethics
In general, security efforts involve motivating new thinking and changing attitudes. The weakest link in the security chain is often the people. However, the right incentives and attitudes can transform people into the most important resource in security efforts. It can be difficult to find the proper balance between physical measures, public responsibilities and internal controls. Company managers and staffs alike need to be able to see the whole picture in order to take the right decisions on security measures. Security is everybody’s responsibility, and security activities need to be integrated into the strategic thinking at the highest level of an organisation.

Specialist commission
The NSR helps companies that need advice regarding industrial espionage, sabotage, narcotics, theft, terrorism, organised crime, fraud, extortion, corruption, computer criminality, and more. The NSR has established a specialist commission to assist in assessing threats and devising measures to counteract criminal activity targeted toward business and industry. The commission includes representatives from industrial organisations and companies. The Norwegian Police Security Service, the Directorate for Civil Protection and Emergency Planning, the Norwegian National Security Authority, the National Police Directorate, the Norwegian National Authority for Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Environmental Crime and the National Bureau of Crime Investigation all take part as consultant institutions.

Norway’s major industrial and employer’s organisations have joined forces to promote security in business and industry through the establishment of the Norwegian Business and Industry Security Council (NSR). The NSR seeks to serve companies, public authorities and the public at large in its role as

• A consultative body for deliberation of security issues between the private sector and the authorities.
• The unified body representing the interests and needs of business and industry with regard to crime prevention and security.
• The advisory body for business and industry on matters relating to measures to prevent criminal activity and a provider of expertise and insight to      member companies who lack the competence needed in this field.