In light of the recent wave of violence in Sweden, the government wants the introduction of the new penalties to be brought forward to January next year – from April 1 according to the previous plan.
Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M) describes in an interview with SVT News the proposal as a “very important piece of the puzzle” in the fight against gang crime.
— It must be punished more severely. We are talking about dangerous people. We have to protect society, and we do that by arresting them, prosecuting them and locking them up for twice as long, says the minister.
It is about longer sentences for serious forms of weapons offences, unauthorized handling of explosives and smuggling of weapons and explosive goods. In total, there are twelve penalty increases.
The penalty scale for serious weapons crime is increased, for example, from imprisonment for a minimum of two years to four years and a maximum of five to seven years in prison.
The government’s goal is to submit a bill to the Riksdag in November so that the proposal can be hammered out during December.