The report that the Police Authority presented on Friday morning has been drawn up on behalf of the government and should serve as a snapshot of the spread of criminal networks in Sweden.
Of the 62,000 people, around 14,000 are estimated to be active serious criminals. The rest are deemed to be “connected” networks. This could, for example, be about people who help launder money or store weapons.
– They are involved quite marginally in this serious crime, but without them this business would not work. You are dependent on different types of contacts in society, says Jerzy Sarnecki, professor of criminology at Stockholm University.
“Want to point out that they need more resources”
The number that the police are now presenting is in no way new, explains Sarnecki. The information is largely based on intelligence that the police have had for some time. He sees the fact that they are now communicated externally as a strategic choice by both the police and the government.
– The police, of course, want to point out that they need more resources, and the government wants to show that they are working on these issues. But as said, this type of mapping is reasonable and needs to be done even though there may be hidden agendas from different quarters.