2019 is the year in which the most illegal detonations took place in Sweden, when 133 were carried out.
So far this year, 131 blasts have already been carried out – and a crisis meeting has been called.
– The gross violence in the form of explosions and shootings increasingly affects the innocent. We must use the collective power of society to push back this crime and reverse the trend, says Gunnar Strömmer (M), Minister of Justice.
On Tuesday, Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M) and Minister of Civil Defense Carl-Oskar Bohlin (M) held a crisis meeting regarding the recent explosions.
Representatives of authorities, rescue service associations, Sweden’s municipalities and regions, SKR, industry organizations and trade unions participated in the meeting.
– This spring, the minimum penalty for unauthorized handling of explosive goods will be doubled, but more must be done to prevent and prevent the explosions. We are now therefore bringing together all relevant actors to jointly identify what can be done in the short and long term, says Gunnar Strömmer.
“Not a single dynamite man in the wrong hands”
The government also wants to create a national permit register to get better control over the explosive goods. A register that the government hopes to have in place during the next year.
– We must make sure that there is better compliance with the rules, better licensing that takes place as it is intended and supervision that takes place better. Not a single dynamite man should end up in the wrong hands, says Carl-Oskar Bohlin.
“In recent years, serious violence linked to organized crime has accelerated in Sweden. The number of illegal blasts has increased significantly and many of them have taken place in public places or at apartment buildings and other private residences. The gross violence, and the organized crime that this violence is an expression of, is a systemic threat”, writes the government.
– The purpose of this round table discussion is to gather strength around the issue together with the actors who also have a responsibility to ensure that appropriate measures are taken quickly. The criminals’ access to explosive goods must be cut off, says Carl-Oskar Bohlin.