Criminal gangs are causing fear and terror in Sweden. After a renewed escalation of deadly violence, the government is considering comprehensive measures.
Sweden could soon combat deadly gang violence in the country with support from the military. Conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson suggested in a speech to the nation that the country’s armed forces could play a role in the fight against the criminal gangs that have long terrorized the Scandinavian EU country. “We will hunt the gangs and we will defeat the gangs,” Kristersson said.
Sweden has been struggling with rampant gang crime for years, with fatal shots and intentional explosions occurring again and again. This month the violence escalated again, which is said to be related, among other things, to a suspected conflict within the criminal Foxtrot network. The capital region around Stockholm and the nearby university town of Uppsala are particularly affected. Eleven people were shot dead in September, including bystanders. A young woman also died in an explosion on Thursday.
Minors are becoming increasingly common as perpetrators and victims. They would be armed and given instructions to carry out attacks, national police chief Anders Thornberg said at a press conference in Stockholm on Friday. Children even contacted the criminal networks themselves in order to be allowed to commit murder.
More violent incidents expected
Unfortunately, there is little to suggest that the violence will stop soon, said Thornberg. Rather, they believe it is likely that there will be new incidents of violence before the trend is reversed. These are “terror-like acts of violence”. Not just one border was crossed – but several.
Kristersson blamed years of political naivety for the dramatic situation. “An irresponsible immigration policy and failed integration have brought us here,” he said in his speech broadcast on Thursday evening. Exclusion and parallel societies provide breeding ground for criminal gangs. “There they can ruthlessly recruit children and train future murderers,” said the head of government.
The conservative further emphasized that Swedish legislation was not designed for “gang warfare and child soldiers”. His government is now changing this, both in migration and criminal policy. Juvenile prisons should be built to separate young offenders from adult criminals. Work is also being done to ensure that all children learn the Swedish language. Gang criminals will be brought to justice. “If they are Swedish citizens, they will be imprisoned with very long prison sentences. If they are foreign citizens, they will also be deported.”
Meetings planned with military and police
Kristersson wanted to coordinate with Thornberg and military commander Micael Bydén on Friday about the extent to which the police forces could help combat the gangs. Thornberg emphasized that the police and military were already working closely together. At the same time, however, he signaled interest in this help: Among other things, he would like to see it if the military could provide expert knowledge and relieve the police of surveillance and logistics, for example. “It would be reasonable to be able to use the armed forces in a similar way as if we had a terrorist attack,” Thornberg said.
Source: Stern
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