Per Sefland
Encyclopedia
Governor of Svalbard
The Governor of Svalbard represents the Norwegian government in exercising its sovereignty over the Svalbard archipelago .The position reports to the Norwegian Ministry of Justice, but it maintains all Norwegian interests in the area, including environmental protection, law enforcement,...
of Svalbard
Svalbard
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic, constituting the northernmost part of Norway. It is located north of mainland Europe, midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The group of islands range from 74° to 81° north latitude , and from 10° to 35° east longitude. Spitsbergen is the...
. He served from 1 October 2005 to 16 September 2009.
Sefland was born in Evje
Evje
Evje is a village and former municipality in Aust-Agder county, Norway. The village of Evje is the administrative center of the current municipality of Evje og Hornnes in the Setesdal valley region...
, and his family later moved to Larvik
Larvik
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Larvik. Larvik kommune - has about 41 364 inhabitants and covers 530 km2....
. He married in 1972, and has two daughters.
He is a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
by education (cand.jur., University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
, 1975), and is a career law enforcement
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
civil servant
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
. After studying he was a bureaucrat in the Ministry of Justice
Norwegian Ministry of Justice and the Police
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Justice and the Police is a Norwegian government ministry in charge of justice, police and domestic intelligence. The main purpose of the Ministry is to provide for the maintenance and development of the basic guarantees of the rule of law...
from 1975 to 1976, police superindendent in Sunnmøre
Sunnmøre
Sunnmøre is the southernmost traditional district of the western Norwegian county of Møre og Romsdal. Its main city is Ålesund. The region comprises the municipalities of Giske, Hareid, Herøy, Norddal, Sande, Skodje, Haram, Stordal, Stranda, Sula, Sykkylven, Ulstein, Vanylven, Volda, Ørskog,...
from 1976 to 1979, deputy judge in Kristiansund from 1979 to 1980 and chief superindendent in Nordmøre from 1980 to 1982. In 1982 he became acting chief of police of Vest-Finnmark, and in 1984 he became chief of police in Nordmøre
Nordmøre
Nordmøre is a traditional district in the Norwegian county of Møre og Romsdal. The area comprises the northern third of the county including the municipalities of Kristiansund, Averøy, Tingvoll, Surnadal, Rindal, Aure, Halsa, Eide, Sunndal, Gjemnes, and Smøla...
. While serving in this position he had short leaves to serve in the Norwegian Prosecuting Authority
Norwegian Prosecuting Authority
Norwegian Prosecuting Authority is a body subordinate to the Norwegian Council of State.This body is responsible for legal prosecutions in Norway. It is divided into three branches. The third branch is the Prosecuting Authority in the Police. The first two, the Office of the Director of Public...
and as Assisting County Governor of Møre og Romsdal. He also attended the Nato Defence College in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
in 1997 and the Norwegian National Defence College in 1986.
In 1997 he was hired as director of the Norwegian Police Surveillance Service, which was named the Norwegian Police Security Service in 2001. From 2003 to 2005 he worked as a chief of police without portfolio in the National Police Directorate, and in 2005 he became the new Governor of Svalbard
Governor of Svalbard
The Governor of Svalbard represents the Norwegian government in exercising its sovereignty over the Svalbard archipelago .The position reports to the Norwegian Ministry of Justice, but it maintains all Norwegian interests in the area, including environmental protection, law enforcement,...
. He was preceded by Odd Olsen Ingerø
Odd Olsen Ingerø
Odd Olsen Ingerø is a Norwegian civil servant and currently serving as the Governor of Svalbard.He was born in Skjeberg. In 2005 he was appointed director of Kripos. He was the Governor of Svalbard between 2001 and 2005. He was succeeded by Sven Ole Fagernæs, and was preceded by Morten Ruud....
and immediately by acting governor Sven Ole Fagernæs
Sven Ole Fagernæs
Sven Ole Fagernæs is a Norwegian jurist and civil servant.He was born in Oslo, and was hired in the Norwegian Ministry of Justice and the Police in 1973. From 1976 he worked in the Office of the Attorney General of Norway...
. He was succeeded by Odd Olsen Ingerø
Odd Olsen Ingerø
Odd Olsen Ingerø is a Norwegian civil servant and currently serving as the Governor of Svalbard.He was born in Skjeberg. In 2005 he was appointed director of Kripos. He was the Governor of Svalbard between 2001 and 2005. He was succeeded by Sven Ole Fagernæs, and was preceded by Morten Ruud....
, who is currently serving a second term as Governor.