The trend is clear, according to Magnus Ståhl. Unauthorized persons either ignore or miss roadblocks and warning signs and enter the defense shooting and training ranges.
– My officers describe how they are forced to stop people and interrupt shooting exercises. It’s just been lucky that something terrible has not happened yet.
He himself is the regimental commander in Boden, but the problem exists throughout the country, states Ståhl. As the military grows, so does the military. In addition, new and re-establishments will take place in several parts of the country, which causes the Armed Forces to issue a warning.
– In a couple of places, such as Falun, Gothenburg and Östersund, we have not had military activities of this dignity in 20 years. That is why we must be extra clear now.
All roads leading to a firing range are excellent with signage and information boards. When an exercise is in progress, they are blocked by a roadblock. In the terrain, there are warning signs placed at regular intervals.
– But it is of course possible to get past them. There are no large physical barriers with barbed wire barriers. If you want to pass, you can. And we see that people do, says Ståhl.
Why do not you fence in the shooting ranges?
– It is a purely practical question. We have very many and large firing ranges. They can be several miles long and wide. If we put barbed wire around everything, it would mean huge obstacles to wildlife. Then the areas are open when we do not practice, they are sometimes close to buildings and need to be accessible.
What do you do to prevent unauthorized people from entering?
– We continuously review the signage and markings around the fields in a way we did not do before. When we practice, we advertise in local newspapers and write on social media and our website. I think we are as proactive as we can. But evidently it does not help.
The one who is discovered in an exercise area is rejected and reported to the police for unauthorized access to protected objects. The crime can result in up to two years in prison, but in the case of less serious offenses, the penalty is often a fine.
In most cases, the intrusion is more about people not taking the warning signs seriously than that they are out to sabotage, according to Ståhl.
– It can be berry pickers, people who usually jog or walk the dog in the area that goes past the barrier and the signs. You may have done it once without anything happening and then you continue out of sheer lewdness.
Too many are a military exercise synonymous with visible soldiers and loud gunfire. But the activities are not always noticeable all over the firing range, says Ståhl.
– We fire some artillery fire at distances of up to two miles. At the finish, it can be completely empty and completely silent just one minute before the impact. If the road is blocked, you should stay away even if you do not see anything, says the regimental commander.
He is worried about what might happen if more people do not follow the screenings.
– We have not yet had an accident, but lots of serious incidents where it is only a hair’s breadth from someone ironing. Everyone I talk to is worried that we’ll shoot or blow someone up.
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