In response to the rise in gang violence in Sweden, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson summoned the head of the Swedish Armed Forces and the country’s police chief to a meeting on Friday, the 29th of September, vowing to fight criminal gangs and restore security in the country, reports Politico.
Sweden has recently seen an increase in gang-related violence, with 11 deaths recorded this month alone. On Thursday, the 28th of September, two men were shot dead in separate incidents near Stockholm and a 25-year-old woman lost her life in a bomb explosion near Uppsala, adding to concerns about rising violence in the country.
The Swedish Prime Minister expressed his deep concern about the escalation of gang violence in the country, noting that it is
affecting more and more innocent people and children,
while blaming the increase in violence on what he called “irresponsible immigration policies”, “failed integration” and “political naivety”. Kristersson stressed the seriousness of the situation and pledged to “take a different path” to tackle the issue.
At a meeting with the Chief of the Armed Forces and the Police Commissioner, the Prime Minister plans to explore strategies for cooperation between the army and the police in dealing with the crisis, discussing both the current legal options and the necessary changes in the law. In addition, Sweden plans to implement more stringent measures, such as
increased surveillance and tougher penalties.
Former Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson urged the current government to deploy the military in response to the ongoing violence and the head of the armed forces, Micael Bydén, in an interview with the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter, expressed his readiness to cooperate with the police force to deal with the situation.
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