According to Sven Granath at Stockholm University, the number of serious incidents of knife violence with young people has decreased successively since the beginning of the 90s. Between 2015 and 2020, the level was the same. In recent years, he has no numbers on.
But knife violence has been the most common approach when young people commit or attempt to commit deadly violence in the last 20-30 years, he says.
Very technical evidence
However, the clearance rate is often higher than in the case of gun violence.
– There are good chances for the police to solve these crimes. They are often very unplanned. Knife violence in particular also leaves a lot of traces. There is a lot of technical evidence to go by, in contrast to, for example, gun violence, he says.
A 15-year-old boy is now in custody on suspicion of murder after an incident in Hammarby sjöstad. Three young people aged 15-17 were arrested after a knife fight in Eskilstuna but have now been released.
The knife more accessible
However, which young people actually carry a knife is not as easy to categorize as firearms.
– It is a little more common than those who carry firearms. But it is probably still the case that those who do it in youth circles often have some kind of criminal connection. Not all young people walk around with a knife right away, says Manne Gerell, criminologist at Malmö University.
How does accessibility play a role?
– It can absolutely play a role. Anyone can get hold of a knife easily but anyone can’t get hold of a firearm. Then you probably need to have a criminal connection. The knife also becomes more accessible for spontaneous disputes where you don’t plan but just take what’s available, says Manne Gerell.