Local public prosecution offices

The operative prosecution work is conducted at the country’s 39 public prosecution offices. Of these, 32 are local offices operating in geographical areas that roughly correspond to a county. In the metropolitan areas there is more than one local public prosecution office in each area.

Everyday crime constitutes a large part of the prosecutor’s work. Included in this category are shoplifting, assault and causing damage. At most local prosecution offices there is a specialist prosecutor who co-ordinates the work carried out by the office to combat everyday crime. There are also specialist prosecutors for other types of offence, such as environmental crime, violent crimes of a serious nature and drug-related crime.

The work at a local public prosecution office is conducted in close co-operation with the police, who perform the operative investigations.

The administrative personnel are a support to the prosecutors in dealing with cases and other matters.

At three locations in the country there are international prosecution offices with specialist competence for combating organised, cross-border crime and for the international co-operation between prosecutors. In addition there are four national prosecution units: one for combating corruption, one for security-related cases, one for national environmental crime and one for dealing with suspected offences committed by the police.