From July 1, several new laws have come into effect. A new type of penalty enhancement provision has been introduced regarding violent confrontations between criminals.
– They want to give the judiciary increased opportunities to clamp down on the criminal networks. The aim is for more people to be in prison for various crimes for a longer period of time, says Lena Ljungdahl, former police officer and security expert, to Nyhetsmorgon.
The punishments for, among other things, illegal threats, robbery and extortion have also been toughened.
– When you raise the penalty, the toolbox for the police to work with also increases.
Expanded opportunities to combat gang crime
The new government promised to crack down on gang crime, which can be seen in the new laws. Now it is, among other things, illegal to involve children under 18 in crime.
– They make it so that the gangs cannot use young people without it being a crime in itself. Not only that the young commit the crimes, but it is a crime to involve people under the age of 18, says Ljungdahl.
Here, the burden of proof can become a problem. It is always difficult for the police to investigate when young people are drawn into crime, says Anna Jinghede, forensic odontologist and forensic technician:
– It is a challenge when children and young people are involved in criminal activities. What you see more and more often is that they are drawn into criminal networks. Today, we cannot conduct a preliminary investigation, but it will be the social service that is given the responsibility to investigate.
Puts pressure on the municipalities
It should also be easier to introduce drug tests for children under 15, which should make it easier for Social Services to design its measures.
– We will probably also see that it will become more common with so-called evidentiary claims. This means that you now have an increased opportunity to test the issue of guilt in court even when the suspect is under 15 years of age. Which can be important for investigating the crime and directing the right efforts towards the child in question.
Another new law regulates the municipalities’ responsibility in crime prevention work, where they are now forced to work in crime prevention. They must develop a situational picture of crime and what measures need to be taken, as well as an action plan.
New anti-terror law
There has also been a new crime in the Terrorist Crimes Act, about participation in a terrorist organization.
– To promote, solicit and recruit and finance. That is, everything that happens before terrorist crimes have received a new law. So participation in a terrorist organization, says Lena Ljungdahl.
The Law Council has criticized the law for being vague and coming too late.
– It is incredibly difficult to say whether you are inciting terrorist crimes or participating in an organization. But it is something that they have obviously thought about and will have to be tested in the courtrooms.