The measures shall, among other things, limit the opportunity for the person deprived of their liberty to communicate with the outside world in connection with a planned transport, more transports shall take place with a police escort and more of the Prison Service’s cars shall be unmarked.
“All the measures have been started, maybe half of them have been implemented and the rest will take some time depending on how big they are,” says Trybom.
On February 8, a 20-year-old gang criminal man was released in connection with a hospital visit in Norrköping. He probably knew about the hospital visit in advance and had access to a mobile phone in the days before the visit. The exoneration took place in dramatic fashion outside Vrinnevisjukhuset by two masked men.
On April 13, it happened again, when a 17-year-old who was admitted to a Sis home was released outside Folktandvården in Södertälje.
New threat image
The government then tasked the Correctional Service with strengthening security during transport. The measures have now been reported to the Ministry of Justice.
Trybom considers one of the most important measures to be that the detainee knows as little as possible about the transport – and the possibility of limiting the inmate’s communication options. The measure is aimed at prisoners and inmates who are subject to a threat image.
— If you’re gang-related, you’ll know significantly less about transport so you can’t call someone and say “hey, I’m going out from time to time”.
Another point whose importance Trybom emphasizes is cooperation with the police. More transport will need a police escort in the future, he says.
“The new thing about all of this is that there was suddenly a threat from outside.” In the past, the threat has been inside the transport when they try to fight or try to get out of the vehicle and run. But all of a sudden someone came from outside who is armed. That’s where we need the police.
No guarantee
Trybom says that the Probation Service’s staff feel safer now that they are prepared for this type of threat.
— But we can never guarantee that it won’t happen, but it will certainly happen in the future. Now we make it much more difficult and are more prepared.
TT: Had the exemptions earlier this year been prevented with the new measures?
— That would have made it significantly more difficult. It is difficult to say whether they had been prevented entirely. Then they wouldn’t have been able to communicate and say where they were and we might not have been seen as well.