According to the Crime Prevention Council, it is most common for crimes to be committed during adolescence, where 16-year-olds recruit children aged 12-13. The Social Administration in Linköping has for several years worked with crime prevention efforts aimed at children, but in recent years they have seen a need to test other methods.
– We need to find other ways. We see that it is growing, says Lisa Fröberg-Karlsson, group leader at the social administration in Linköping.
German method: “Kurve Krigen”
The German method “Kurve Krigen” has proven effective in working with young people at risk. Four out of ten children who have undergone the “Kurve Krigen” completely stop crime and the other six reduce their crime. The method has been used in Germany for over ten years and has now started to be used in Sweden.
– Many children that we have in Rätt Kurva in all pilot municipalities continue to commit crimes and that can be seen as a failure, says Beata Bergkvist, development manager at the social administration in Linköping.
But she explains that this is also a sign that they have caught the right child and that it takes a lot of work to change a behavior pattern.
– It would have been incredible if you stopped immediately, says Beata Bergkvist.
Several municipalities use the method
The project has been underway for over a year and will last for a total of three years, where researchers from the University of Gothenburg will evaluate the work. In addition to Linköping, Södertälje and northwestern Gothenburg also participate in the project.
Other municipalities, such as Karlskoga, Huddinge, Halmstad and Landskrona, have already started using the method.