Sigríður Björk Guðjónsdóttir has stepped down as National Police Commissioner after nearly 25 years of service. The role is far from routine — it covers national defence, protection of senior officials, and oversight of both an armed special force and an analytical division that, while not a formal secret service, works closely with international security organisations.
In her farewell remarks, Sigríður pointed to several reasons for leaving, but kept returning to one theme: the well-being of the police force had to come before personal considerations. After a turbulent few weeks of internal discussions, she felt her continued leadership could do more harm than good, particularly with major funding negotiations approaching.
The pressure had been building for some time. Critical media coverage of the police’s relationship with the consulting firm Intru Advising put Sigríður in a difficult position, and Justice Minister Þorbjörg Sigríður Gunnlaugsdóttir had summoned her for formal meetings on three separate occasions — the first on October 29. At that initial meeting, the Minister made clear she believed Sigríður’s position was becoming untenable. Just two days after their final meeting, the Prime Minister’s Office entered the picture.
After Sigríður’s departure, the Mirror asked the Prime Minister’s Office to explain its involvement. What emerged was an email from Haukur Guðmundsson, a minister in the Ministry of Justice, to Benedikt Árnason, a minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, dated November 5. Attached was a memo laying out the operational state of the National Police Commissioner’s Office.
In that email, Haukur was blunt: any discussions that strayed from the core problem — an operational deficit of approximately 800 million ISK as of October — were a distraction. Both the Ministry and the office needed to keep their eyes on the bigger picture rather than getting pulled into the details.
On that same day, Sigríður attended a meeting at Benedikt’s home in Breiðholt. The setting was unusual — a private residence, after working hours, with no other attendees. Both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice were informed that the meeting had taken place.
Almost four days later, Sigríður resigned at another meeting with the Minister of Justice. She also put forward a proposal to stay on as an expert within the Ministry, which was accepted. The Ministry of Justice told the Mirror that no formal memos had been drawn up around the transition, and confirmed that Sigríður’s salary would remain unchanged.
Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir addressed the matter in a written statement, saying the purpose of the meeting between Benedikt and Sigríður was to assess the situation around the then National Police Commissioner. She said Benedikt carried no messages into that meeting, that she received a briefing the following day, and that she had not been in contact with the Minister of Justice about the meeting itself.
