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Arabnews24.ca:Monday 6 February 2023 12:14 AM: https://sputniknews.com/20230206/swedish-police-chief-sounds-the-alarm-over-unprecedented-crime-1107000159.html
Swedish Police Chief Sounds the Alarm Over 'Unprecedented' Crime
Swedish Police Chief Sounds the Alarm Over 'Unprecedented' Crime
In 2022, Sweden set the grim European record for the most number of fatal shootings in a single year, eclipsing fellow Nordic nations by nearly an order of magnitude.
2023-02-06T05:03+0000
2023-02-06T05:03+0000
2023-02-06T05:03+0000
world
sweden
scandinavia
news
crime
organized crime
violent crime
ulf kristersson
europe
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In searing opinion piece penned by Sweden's top police leadership, the country's national police chief has complained that organized crime has reached an "unprecedented level" and become more complex and difficult to deal with.Among others, Anders Thornberg lamented the fact that crime has become more complex, whereby it has also become more difficult to get witnesses to talk.Thornberg also pleaded for a sturdier and more numerous police force, which is currently understaffed and underfinanced. He also called for the force to be assisted by stronger tools through new legislation and strengthened cooperation between authorities. Lastly, he also argued that the police's mission must be fine-tuned to solve the emerging challenges.Once-peaceful Sweden has for many years been plagued by gun violence, explosions and pronounced gang crime. In 2022, Sweden set the grim European record for the most number of fatal shootings in a single year with 64. For the sake of comparison, in neighboring Denmark which is largely similar culture-wise and economically, only eight people were shot dead in 2022.While largely pinned to conflicts between rivaling gangs, the shootings and explosions often hurt ordinary people and ruin shops and other venues in collateral damage. The conflicts even affect schools and kindergartens – to the point of the authorities issuing guidelines on how to deal with these matters, which many interpreted as a sign of "normalization" of gangland violence.Numerous reports have pointed out a prevalence of second-generation immigrants born in Sweden among the clans that often operate on ethnic basis, which the authorities have long been reluctant to admit as a sign of failure of their integration policies, before making a U-turn after decades of "open doors" policy. Furthermore, the police said that violent offenders have become younger over the years, many of them still minors trying to win rapport in gangland world.At the turn of the year, Sweden was swept by a wave of what the police viewed as retaliatory crimes. The spike in violence and bloodshed that dominated new news cycle over Christmas and New Year holidays represents a threat to the current minority government led by the Moderates, as Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson ran specifically on a bid to tackle organized crime, pledging to "straighten out Sweden." Kristersson envisaged a "paradigm shift" in criminal justice and promised longer prison sentences to get gang members off the streets and deter new recruits from joining the underworld. The much-awaited turnaround is yet to materialize.
https://sputniknews.com/20221212/sweden-sees-bloodiest-year-on-record-amid-horrible-spike-in-gun-violence-1105369053.html
sweden
scandinavia
2023
News
en_EN
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fatal shootings, gangland crime, gang violence, integration policy, gang feuds
Igor Kuznetsov
Once-peaceful Sweden has for many years been plagued by gun violence, explosions and pronounced gang crime. In 2022, Sweden set the grim European record for the most number of fatal shootings in a single year, eclipsing fellow Nordic nations by nearly an order of magnitude.
In searing opinion piece penned by Sweden's top police leadership, the country's national police chief has complained that organized crime has reached an "unprecedented level" and become more complex and difficult to deal with.
Among others, Anders Thornberg lamented the fact that crime has become more complex, whereby it has also become more difficult to get witnesses to talk.
"Prosecutors, witnesses and perpetrators, who have previously spoken to the police and testified in court, now almost never give any information. This makes the investigation significantly more difficult. Success in the prosecution often requires finding other, more difficult evidence," Thornberg wrote.
Thornberg also pleaded for a sturdier and more numerous police force, which is currently understaffed and underfinanced. He also called for the force to be assisted by stronger tools through new legislation and strengthened cooperation between authorities. Lastly, he also argued that the police's mission must be fine-tuned to solve the emerging challenges.
Once-peaceful Sweden has for many years been plagued by gun violence, explosions and pronounced gang crime. In 2022, Sweden set the grim European record for the most number of fatal shootings in a single year with 64. For the sake of comparison, in neighboring Denmark which is largely similar culture-wise and economically, only eight people were shot dead in 2022.
While largely pinned to conflicts between rivaling gangs, the shootings and explosions often hurt ordinary people and ruin shops and other venues in collateral damage. The conflicts even affect schools and kindergartens – to the point of the authorities issuing guidelines on how to deal with these matters, which many interpreted as a sign of "normalization" of gangland violence.
12 December 2022, 08:03 GMT
