Safety must be improved for those who travel by bus and train in Sweden.
This is the opinion of the government, which now wants to increase cooperation within public transport to prevent terrorist attacks.
– Sweden has lagged behind, says infrastructure minister Andreas Carlson (KD).
In August last year, the Swedish Transport Agency and the Swedish Transport Agency were commissioned by the government to investigate the need to strengthen safety and security in train and public transport. The announcement came after the Security Police raised the terror threat level to a four on the five-point scale.
The authorities presented the task in January this year and then proposed, among other things, that a new law be introduced for railway and public transport protection. In addition, the authorities want a so-called national program to be drawn up, according to a model previously recommended by the European Commission.
The aim is to ensure, in a structured and coordinated manner, that the protective measures introduced in rail and public transport are well balanced and the same across the country.
– There are many different actors involved and the purpose of a national program is to clarify the division of responsibility above all to prevent possible attacks. Sweden has lagged behind, but now the government is taking action, says infrastructure minister Andreas Carlson (KD).
Stockholm Central Station potential target
In Germany, there have been several attacks on public transport in recent years. Two people were killed in January last year, when a man attacked fellow passengers with a knife on board a train north of Hamburg.
At Stockholm’s central station, there are often a lot of people in motion, and it could become a target for a possible terrorist attack. But the travelers that TV4 Nyheternas spoke to were not particularly worried.
– In the back of my mind, there is a slight hint that something could happen, but I feel quite safe, says Åsa Svensson from Uddevalla.
No garbage cans
A country where preparedness for terrorist attacks is at a high level is Great Britain. In the London Underground, there have been no waste bins at the stations for a long time. But Sweden’s infrastructure minister does not want to say whether it is a measure that will become a reality in Sweden as well.
– It could be a measure, but it is also important that you can throw your rubbish somewhere. We can state that in other countries, for example, there are shorter courses so that you know if you work inside a station what to pay attention to and how to act to prevent an attack, says Andreas Carlsson (KD).