Thorleif Oscar Karlsen (17 December 1909 – 31 January 2010) was a Norwegian police inspector and politician, who also became known through the radio program ''Trafikk og musikk''. He was born in Stavanger, to which his parents had moved in the same year. He was hired as a police officer in 1930. He worked in Stavanger from 1930 to 1932, for Statspolitiet in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...

from 1932 to 1937 and then in Stavanger again from 1938. During the

occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany during the Second World War began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung. Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940, and Nazi Germany controlled Norway until th ...

he was arrested in February 1941 for "anti-German propaganda". He was imprisoned at

Møllergata 19 Møllergata 19 is an address in Oslo, Norway where the city's main police station and jail was located. The address gained notoriety during the German occupation from 1940 to 1945, when the Nazi security police kept its headquarters here. This is ...

from 26 February to 22 March, then at Ånebyleiren concentration camp until 16 April. He was freed, but was later arrested again during a crackdown on the police ( no, politiaksjonen), and was then imprisoned at

Grini concentration camp '', '' no, Grini fangeleir'', location=Bærum, Viken, Norway, location map=Viken#Norway, built by=Norway, original use=Constructed as a women's prison, operated by=Nazi Germany, notable inmates= List of Grini prisoners, liberated by=Harry Söderm ...

from March 1943 to January 1944. After being released again, he was even arrested for a third time, and sat at Møllergata 19 from October 1944 to the war's end in May 1945. He has speculated that the reason for him not being sent to a German concentration camp, was that his father co-founded

Nasjonal Samling Nasjonal Samling (, NS; ) was a Norwegian far-right political party active from 1933 to 1945. It was the only legal party of Norway from 1942 to 1945. It was founded by former minister of defence Vidkun Quisling and a group of supporters such ...

. After World War II he continued as a police officer. He was also a member of Stavanger city council from 1947 to 1955, representing the Labour Party. In 1954 he became the first non-jurist to serve as police inspector in the city

. The appointment of a non-jurist was controversial, and was even debated in the Parliament of Norway. He led the traffic police department in Oslo, and held the position until 1979. He became nationally known as permanent guest in the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation radio program ''Trafikk og musikk'' hosted by Oddvar Folkestad which aired every Saturday afternoon between 1960 and 1980. He was one of the founders of Trygg Trafikk. In 1982 he was hired as a columnist in ''

Stavanger Aftenblad ''Stavanger Aftenblad'' () (lit: ''Stavanger Evening Paper'') or simply ''Aftenbladet'' is a daily newspaper based in Stavanger, Norway, and owned by Schibsted Media Group. Norwegian owners held 42 percent of the shares in Schibsted at the end ...

''. Karlsen died on 31 January 2010 in Stavanger. He was married for the most of his life, had five children and twelve grandchildren. He was also a Freemason and a member of the

International Organisation of Good Templars The International Organisation of Good Templars (IOGT; founded as the Independent Order of Good Templars), whose international body is known as Movendi International, is a fraternal organization which is part of the temperance movement, promotin ...

, and from 1978 to 1983 he was a board member of the International Abstaining Motorists Association. He has been decorated with the

King's Medal of Merit The King's Medal of Merit (Norwegian: ''Kongens fortjenstmedalje'') is a Norwegian award. It was instituted in 1908 to reward meritorious achievements in the fields of art, science, business, and public service. It is divided in two classes: gold ...

in gold, and appointed a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog, a Knight of the

Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry, awarded to citizens of Sweden for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. It was instituted on 29 May 1772 by King Gustav III. It was u ...

and a Knight of the

Order of the Lion of Finland The Order of the Lion of Finland ( fi, Suomen Leijonan ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Lejons orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty and the Order of the White Rose of Finland. The President ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karlsen, Thorleif 1909 births 2010 deaths Norwegian police officers Norwegian resistance members Grini concentration camp survivors Politicians from Stavanger Labour Party (Norway) politicians NRK people Norwegian columnists Norwegian Freemasons Norwegian centenarians Men centenarians Knights of the Order of the Lion of Finland Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog Knights of the Order of Vasa Recipients of the King's Medal of Merit in gold International Organisation of Good Templars