In recent years, a number of new laws have come into effect.
As recently as July of this year, for example, it became law that many beverage containers must have fixed plastic caps, in accordance with an EU directive, and in addition an adjustment was made in the Accounting Act.
Before that, at the turn of the year 2023/2024, new laws were also introduced. One such was that security guards were given extended powers and that security guards could be used to a greater extent to, according to the government“maintain public order and safety in society” – something that will affect the grocery industry.
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The grocery industry spends a lot of money on security
According to a calculation from Swedish Trade, which according to Grocery news was made in 2021, an average grocery store spent roughly SEK 550,000 a year on various security measures. Security guards were the largest item of expenditure.
And with the expanded law that came into force on January 1 this year, the cost will go even further.
– These numbers only go in one direction considering the hardening social climate and the wave of violence. More will have to spend money on safety-enhancing measures, have Eric Mangensecurity expert at Swedish Handel, told Dagligvarunytt.
Photo: Janerik Henriksson/TT
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Are stores allowed to port customers?
As early as 2021, they tried to overcome the security problems that traders and shop owners around the country encountered. On March 1st of that year, the law on shop bans was therefore introduced, which was later extended to libraries and bathing facilities as well.
– The law on banning access to stores was introduced as a result of stores around the country having repeated problems with individuals committing crimes in stores. Swedish Trade worked for a long time for it to be introduced, and when it happened it was extremely long-awaited, says Viktor Schmidtpress manager at Swedish Handel, to Nyheter24.
Photo: Amir Nabizadeh/TT
The law means that stores may serve customers over the age of 15 “if, due to special circumstances, there is a risk that he or she will commit a crime in the store or seriously harass someone who is there”, writes The Prosecutor’s Office.
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What happens if you violate the access ban?
It is the shopkeeper, the store manager or the police who submits an application for an access ban to a prosecutor who examines and makes a decision in the matter. Both parties – the one who sent the application and the one who may be ported – can request to review the decision in the district court.
Anyone who has been ported and who violates the access ban can, according to Trade newsis sentenced to a fine or imprisonment for up to six months.
Photo: Fredrik Sandberg /TTSvensk Handel: “Not applied as we hoped”
But according to Viktor Schmidt, Swedish Trade is not completely satisfied with how the law has worked in practice.
– Unfortunately, it has not been applied in the way we had hoped for. In 2023, there were 483 applications for store bans, of which 48 percent were granted. In 2023, 174 notifications of violation of access bans were received. Compared to the number of granted access bans, as many as three out of four announced access bans have been violated. It is serious, and a strong sign that the law is not working as intended.
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