Military police have been highlighted as an alternative for how the Armed Forces can assist the police. But who are they and what powers do they have?
A military police officer has the same powers, obligations and rights as an ordinary police officer – but within the Armed Forces, says the Armed Forces’ military police chief Rikard Bengtsson.
What is considered to be “within the Armed Forces” becomes the crucial question when discussing how the military police could assist the Police Authority. On Friday, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that the government will give the Armed Forces the task of supporting the police.
– Current definition and interpretation means that “within the Armed Forces” is where FM conducts operations or is affected by them, or our equipment or personnel. But the interpretation can be changed if one thinks from the perspective of politics that the interests of the Armed Forces are further.
Needs to be reworked
Today, the military police is governed by a regulation from 1980, written based on the world view of that time.
– It probably needs to be worked on and reworked, partly according to how the outside world looks today and partly with NATO entry. In the majority of NATO countries, the military police have slightly more far-reaching possibilities than we have in Sweden. We have been very restrictive with how the military police can be used and used.
Rikard Bengtsson leaves it up to the heads of the authorities to answer how the military police could assist in the current situation, but believes that the military police have abilities and capacities that could be used. The military police have the ability to, for example, monitor, carry out searches with dogs and carry out traffic controls.
– Several of the staff have both basic policeman training and military police training as well as preliminary investigation training. In terms of competence, we stand well and could help in various ways.
– The police authority can specify what they would need help with and what they want us to assist with.
Relatively small
The military police can be found throughout Sweden, but is a relatively small organization compared to many other countries. Until the late 1990s it was considerably larger but was heavily slimmed down with the rest of the defence. When the Armed Forces are now growing, it is not primarily the military police that is being invested in, so there is currently no major force that could assist the police.
– It is not, but used correctly at the right time, it could absolutely make a difference.
FACTSMilitary police
The biggest difference between a military police and an ordinary police is that the military police only work with matters relating to the Armed Forces. Otherwise, the duties are similar – preventing and investigating crime and maintaining order and security.
Among the duties of the military police are, for example, escort service where you protect transport, traffic service where you check vehicles, personal protection and criminal investigations where military personnel or equipment are involved.
The military police can also support civil society, for example by guarding areas or buildings that require large resources.
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