Hysing explains that the Security Police’s decision to raise the terror threat level from three to four has somewhat “less impact” on the police’s work than might be imagined.
– We have lived under an increased threat for a very, very long time. And the Police Authority has understood that it has been a very high third for a long time, so it is perhaps less dramatic for the Police Authority than it might appear, says Jonas Hysing, deputy commanding officer at the police’s National Operative Department (Noa).
The commanding officer emphasizes that the police have done extensive work over the past ten years to increase the ability to “prevent and prevent” terrorist acts.
– What this possibly entails is that the risk of an attack taking place has increased, but it has not changed, what we call the modus, that is, the approach, and we have well-developed ways to meet and deal with terrorist attack, says Hysing.
The police will now, among other things, intensify border checks, increase dialogue police activities and the Säposamarbet Redex – which aims to combat radicalisation.
“Should have an endurance”
TT: The last time the threat level was this high was in 2015–2016, is there anything in the threat picture today that differs from that time?
— The last time the threat level was temporarily raised to a level four, it was, as we understood it, more case-specific. There were concrete data. Now it’s more analysis-driven, says Jonas Hysing.
— This means that we have to gain height because this four will last for quite a long time to come. For the police, this means that we must have persistence in what we do. Individual point efforts that we are unable to maintain over time are less successful.
Changed investigation routine
According to Hysing, the police’s preparations include training in so-called pdv, ongoing deadly violence, both when it comes to religiously motivated terrorist acts and, for example, school attacks.
— We continuously practice it and prepare our staff for it. We have also changed our investigation routine when it comes to serious crimes, so it should be better suited to investigate specifically terrorist crimes where speed and handling of large amounts of data is important, he says.
TT: Are there some places where the threat picture is considered higher than others when making assessments?
— I don’t want to say anything specific there. But in general it can be said that places where many people gather are a potential target for terrorist attacks.
Jonas Hysing explains that the police’s work around public events – such as the ongoing Culture Festival in Stockholm and the king’s upcoming celebration after 50 years on the throne – is not directly affected.
— Not significantly. It is the risk that has been raised, not the approach that has changed. The measures we are taking are adequate, but it is conceivable that we need to do more of certain measures and more targeted measures. Exactly what I don’t want to go into.