The police report on Mats Löfving’s death has been submitted to the Work Environment Agency.
But the authority’s own trade union is now overseeing the investigation.
– The police authority has broken down and it would have been appropriate if it was also written in the report, says Katharina von Sydow, president of the Police Association.
The police union thinks that the report avoids raising self-criticism, that there is a lack of concrete measures – and that the proposed measures should be implemented far too late. That’s what Katharina von Sydow, president of the Police Association, says.
– It is very important that there are now concrete measures, many of the measures are planned for the turn of the year and it is far too late. We could have a new event tomorrow of the same nature, then my members must be able to feel secure that they will be treated with respect, she says.
“The investigator decided that a press conference should be held”
In the report, they write that Runar Viksten decided to present his investigation via a press conference.
“The external investigator decided that a press conference would be held,” writes the Police Authority in the report.
Viksten himself explains that the decision “of course” was made in agreement with the police leadership and national police chief Anders Thornberg.
– I think they are keen to stay away from that and that is because the investigation would be objective. Then it is clear that it can be seen as a way of avoiding responsibility, says Runar Viksten.
Before the press conference, both the police leadership and Mats Löfving had access to the report. Despite that, the police subsequently choose to claim that Viksten went beyond the limits of his mission in both the investigation and the press conference.
“It can be stated that the report and the press conference contained statements
regarding circumstances that were not clearly covered by the assignment.“, they write.
Viksten: “Didn’t have a bad relationship with the police management”
Runar Viksten says that he understands the union’s position and those who read in that he himself is blamed in the report, but describes that he experiences the cooperation with the Police Authority as functioning well.
– I can imagine that there are people who believe that they are hiding and putting the blame on the investigator. But I don’t perceive it that way and after the investigation I have not had a bad relationship with the police leadership – and I have not received any criticism that I would have gone beyond my powers, he says.
Union demands: Deal with the culture of silence
In June, the Work Environment Agency’s analysis of the police report will be completed, only then does the Swedish Police Agency want to comment on it. During the same month, the union also has a scheduled meeting with National Police Chief Anders Thornberg.
– I expect that we will have concrete measures in place by then, not least to deal with the culture of silence that exists at the Police Authority, says Katharina von Sydow.