 His father's brother is the artist Einar Hákonarson.Snorri graduated from the Fjölbrautaskóli in Breiðholt and joined the police force in Reykjavík in November 1984 after a general strike by the Confederation of State and Municipal Employees of Iceland.He graduated from the national police academy in 1987 and completed Special Forces training in May 1987, after which, while continuing to work with the conventional police in Rekjavík, he was also a member of the Special Police Task Force until November 1992.