Sweden, Gang Violence and a New Prime Minister
by Judith Bergman • December 27, 2021 at 5:00 am
Sweden is facing much more than a "serious problem".
Sweden has the highest number of fatal shootings per million inhabitants in Europe according to the latest report by Brå on shooting, released in May. Sweden, furthermore, is the only country in Europe in which fatal shootings have increased since the year 2005.
"The main underlying reason for the development with shootings and explosions is the situation that prevails in vulnerable areas, where residents feel threatened by criminals, where there is open drug trafficking and where criminals in some places have created parallel social structures", Swedish police wrote in a recent press release.
In six out of seven police regions, gangs use 12-year-old children in the conduct of their criminal activities, including selling drugs and transporting weapons.
Sweden's new Prime Minister, Social Democrat Magdalena Andersson, who previously served as finance minister, has a formidable task ahead of her: Dealing with the ever-growing gang violence and shootings in Swedish cities. Her predecessor, Stefan Löfven, notably failed even to contain the exponential growth in shootings during his seven-year tenure. Sweden's parliament narrowly elected Andersson as Löfven's successor in November, after Löfven announced his resignation in August.
"Sweden is a fantastic country, but we are facing a number of serious problems," Andersson said. "I plan to lift every stone to break segregation and push back the violent crime which is plaguing Sweden..."
