Crime in Sweden

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The 9,000,000 inhabitants of Sweden reported 1,250,000 offences to the authorities in Sweden (139 offences/1000 inhabitants). The number of reported crimes have increased radically since a national statistics began in 1950. This is partly attributed to a higher degree of reports, but the largest factor is the factual increase of crimes. ^[1]

Contents 1 Historical statistics 2 Types of crimes reported 2.1 Homicides 3 International comparisment 4 Imprisonment 5 Notorious criminals and crimes 6 Crimes and legislation 6.1 Youth delinquency 6.2 Prostitution 7 Notes 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Historical statistics

1950 was the year Sweden began with a national crime statistics. In 1950 195,000 crimes were reported. In 1964, the number was 368,000. Between 1975 and 1990, the number of reported offences rose by 61 percent at a steady rate. In the 90s, the number fluctuated between years, but was generally not increasing. The latest years have seen a slight increase but not higher than it was in 1990.

The increase of crimes have been attributed to a lesser degree of social interactions, leading to decreased supervision, but also an increased in living conditions which had led to more valuable items to steal.

The suspects are men in 80% of the cases.

[Note: one should compare these statistics to total population and also note that there are crimes that are not reported]

[edit] Types of crimes reported

Of the crimes reported to the authorities in 2003, 53% were of theft-kinds, 13% contact crime ^[2], 12% vandalism and destruction, 6% traffic crimes (not including minor incidents), 5% were frauds and 3% narcotics related.

It should be noted that many crimes go unreported. According to studies, only 22% of those affected by violence reported the offence to the authorities, and about 50% of those affected by vandalism. Some increases in the statistics are attributed to a higher level of reporting.

Most notable increase in the last decade has been contact crimes. The has been attributed to large changes in the Sweden welfare state. Another significant change is an increase in alcohol related crimes, mainly attributed to larger allowed quotas from foreign countries.

[edit] Homicides

In 2003, there were 189 homicides in Sweden ^[3]. In 2001, there were 169, which gives a rate of circa 2 murders per 100,000 inhabitants. This figure is in line with most European countries, which also have a level of between 1-2. In comparison, the U.S. has 6 murders per 100,000; and Russia: 20.5.

Of the level of homicides in capitals, Stockholm is on level with most capitals with around 3 annual homicedes per 100,000 inhabitants, although the numbers are hard to compare due to large fluctuations between years. Murders are significantly less common now than in the 19th Century and earlier eras, due to a major reduction of poverty.

[edit] International comparisment

International comparisments are notably hard to make due to many variations in laws, legislations, jurisdiction and the process of reporting crimes. In a research from 1996 with 11 industrial countries, 24% of Swedes themselves state they had been affected by a criminal act -- 24% was incidentally the average rate of all countries. Sweden was together with Holland and Switzerland distinguished by a high rate of small crimes, such as theft of bicycle. Assaults and threats, however, are (relatively) common: in that measure Sweden is third of the countries. However, the risk of getting mugged is lower -- 0,5% in Sweden reported to have been affected compared to 1,3% and 1,2% in the U.S and Canada. ^[4]

[edit] Imprisonment

The percentage of the population in prison is at a significant lower rate than most other countries. Of 100,000 inhabitants, 59 lived in prison facilities in 2001, which is about the same rate as the other Scandinavian countries. Most industrial countres in Europe had a rate of around 100 (England & Wales 125, Germany 97, Italy 90), and some eastern Europe states between 150-300; the U.S. high above with 682, only topped by Russia's 729. ^[5]

Some of these numbers may be due to variations in prison types. Sweden makes frequent use of electronical fetters allowing the prisoner to live at home but sustaining constant supervision including a no-alcohol policy. Yet, the Swedish prison system is generally mild, and while the maximum sentence ("life" sentence) means being in prison for an undetermined period, the prisoner is generally out after 15-20 years.

[edit] Notorious criminals and crimes

• Knutby murder (2004) for which Sara Svensson and pastor Helge Fossmo were convicted
• Anna Lindh murder (2003) for which Mijailo Mihailović was convicted
• John Hron murder (1995) for which Daniel Hansson and other neo-Nazi was convicted
• Olof Palme murder (1986) for which Christer Pettersson was convicted, but in a higher instance freed.
• Jacob Johan Anckarström murdered king Gustav III in 1792, which became the subject of Verdi's opera Un Ballo in Maschera. He was executed
• Clark Olofsson, a life long criminal sentenced for various high-profile crimes. One of the main men behind the Norrmalmstorg robbery (1973), which fostered the term Stockholm syndrome.
• Mattias Flink a mility lieutenant who unprovoked opened fire with an automatic weapon in Falun 1994, killing seven.
• Jackie Arklöv, Tony Olsson and Andreas Axelsson bankrobbers who in 1999 shot at and killed two police offers outside Malexander, eventually executing them by head-shot from close range.
• John Ausonius (the "Laser Man") who attempted to kill eleven foreign looking people between 1991-1992.
• Thomas Quick, serial killer convicted of eight crimes, but confessing 14 others between 1964-1990.

[edit] Crimes and legislation

[edit] Youth delinquency

In the late 1990s a new kind of crime drew the attention of media: muggings among youths. This phenomenon bears a strong relationship to the waves of immigrants that arrived in Sweden the 1990s. 50 percent of all crimes are committed by non-Swedes are done by people from other Nordic countries. Some examples that (sometimes unfairly) came to define the situation in respective city were Bergsjön in Göteborg; Rinkeby in Stockholm; and Rosengård in Malmö.

This areas with their (relatively) socioeconomic low standard and high unemployment led to segregation, and at the same time the rate of foreigner related crimes were reported as being at a significant for Swedish standards but nothing in comparison with the rest of the world. The truth of this were much disputed in Swedish media. Opponents maintain this to be a result of xenophobia, hostility and misunderstanding. Yet results continuously show the undisputed facts of foreigners from the low-standard socioeconomical neighbourhoods as much more likely crime suspects. In Malmö, the person injured was a native Swede in 71% of cases; the suspect mugger was however foreign-born in 61% of cases.

A study was eventually called for and published in 2000 by the National Council for Crime Prevention ^2000:6. Of teenagers in 9th grade, 10% of boys and 5% of girls had been the target of muggings during the last 2 years. The rates of gymnasium students were about the same. Similarly, 10% of the questioned boys admitted as having mugged others; 5% of girls.

Desirable objects are mainly money (35%) and cell phones (34%). The average value of stolen items were around 700 SEK (~90 US$).

Juvenile robberies reported to the police annually.

Town	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999, Jan. – June
Malmö	53	58	170	210	196
Stockholm	569	411	709	682	613

The same study also showed that only ca 50% reported muggings to the police.

[edit] Prostitution

Sweden is one of few countries in the world to have criminalized only the buying of sexual acts. The reason is the Swedish government's adaptation of the theory of gender roles with a male ruling class, with the notion that the clients of prostitutes exploit the prostitutes.

The law was put in effect on January 1, 1999 and inserted into the Criminal code on April 1, 2005. The penalty is fine or prison of maximum of six months. So far, the law has led to few convictions, due to difficulties of proving a person was indeed buying sex, virtually requiring the person to be caught "with his pants down". The law has however resulted in increased sex tourism to surrounding countries, with Tallinn, Estonia, being one city voicing complaints.

In line with this, in 2005 a law was put into effect barring different taxations of men and women, which is common at hairdressers, and a prohibition of different age limits for men and women at pubs and night clubs.

[edit] Notes

1. ^  All statistics come from the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brottsförebyggande rådet - Brå).
2. ^  Contact crimes are: robbery, assault and sexual assault.
3. ^  Homice includes murder, manslaughter, assault leading to death, euthanasia and infanticide. Excluded in most countries is abortion and assisted suicide.
4. ^  See also the Home Office Bulletine which compares reported crimes in various countries: International comparisons of criminal justice statistics 1999. Note: PDF file, Acrobat Reader (free) required. The link was added October 14, 2005.

[edit] References

• Criminal Statistics for 2004, from Brå (see below).
• ^2000:6  Ungdomar som rånar ungdomar - i Malmö och Stockholm, BRÅ-rapport 2000:6. ISBN 91-38-31609-9

[edit] External links

• Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention Official site, English version. (Also available in Swedish, German, Spanish, French and Finnish).
• Anti-Semitism Worldwide 1999/2000: Sweden - The Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and Racism / Tel Aviv University