At midnight, the new wiretapping law comes into force in Sweden. From Sunday, the police will have increased powers to deal with crime in the country.
The new law makes it possible to intercept people even if there is no suspicion of a crime. The government’s hope is to be able to stop violence and murder before it happens.
– We are intensifying the crime prevention work. The current policy has demonstrably not worked, and therefore we are changing it, said Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in his speech to the nation after the recent gross acts of violence.
The criticism: “Complete surveillance society”
The Tidö parties have also talked about a paradigm shift within the Swedish judiciary.
But opinions differ on whether the law change will really curb gang crime in the way the government hopes.
– Nobody wants the society we have today with the development of crime, but I’m pretty sure that very few want a complete surveillance society, says Fredrik Bergman Evans, head of the Center for Justice to TV4 Nyheterna.
The law comes into force in order to more easily counter rampant organized crime. The police have welcomed the change in the law and are ready to apply for permission.
– We have a very good grasp of who these gangs are and who the people are. We have a lot of information that points to and proves that they are involved in organized crime, says Noa manager Johan Olsson.
The police have previously had challenges and difficulties in being able to pinpoint exactly which people are suspected of specific crimes.
– This is where the new law makes it easier for us not to have to have a clear indication against specific individuals, says Olsson.
Strömmer: “Tool to catch criminals”
At midnight, the police will have a large toolbox to work with as several secret means of coercion come into play. Monitoring of electronic communications, data reading, camera surveillance and bugging will be allowed for the police.
– Everything we do now is about giving the police better technical digital tools to be able to catch up with the criminals and crack their way of communicating, says Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M).
Fredrik Bergman Evans emphasizes that there is a risk that innocent people will be affected by the new secret surveillance.
– It is clear that there is a great risk that the criminals will adapt in the way they communicate and that those affected are law-abiding people, but that is something that must be evaluated when this system is in place, he says.