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Sweden continues to have major problems with vulnerable areas, says Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M).
– It is a failure for our entire society, he says.
The number of vulnerable areas decreases from 61 to 59 in the police’s latest survey – but at the same time the influence of the criminals has been cemented and has become increasingly permanent.
– For me, it underlines the importance of mobilizing not only the judiciary but the whole of society to break it, says Gunnar Strömmer.
– One should not float in any uncertainty that the measures and steps that will be required will have to be very invasive.
Better tools
But he also sees some bright spots. For example, the open drug trade has generally decreased as a result of increased camera surveillance.
– There is a sense of hope. If we give law enforcement agencies more effective tools, these patterns can also be broken.
According to the police, however, it is about the criminals adapting, and instead investing more in selling via digital channels and delivering through drive-thru.
The police also highlight that the number of particularly vulnerable areas, where the situation is deemed to be urgent, has decreased from 22 to 17 since 2019.
Above all, it is due to reduced violence and threats against police officers – but it is considered in turn to be a conscious strategy by the gangs to reduce the visibility of the police and to be able to operate more undisturbed.
– Fundamentally, of course, we do not want to see threats and violence against the police. It is very clear that regardless of the motivations of the criminals to act in one way or another, we must give the police better tools to push back these networks, comments Strömmer.
Push back
What is the goal – should Sweden not have any exposed areas in the long term?
– I don’t want to quantify the work that way. We must break social vulnerability, strengthen the empowerment and freedom of people in all parts of the country, so that these numbers can be significantly reduced. If we do it systematically, I am convinced that we will also be able to see a decrease in the number of vulnerable areas, and the goal is of course to push back as much as possible.