A new report has shown that the number of fatal shootings in Sweden is up to four to five times that in Germany and the number of hand grenade attacks is on par with Mexico.
Sweden per capita has a rate of gun crime resulting in fatalities four to five times that of its neighbour Norway or Germany according to a new report. The researchers say that the only European equivalent to gun crime in Sweden is southern Italy, and the use of hand grenades in attacks is rivalled only by areas of Mexico in which drug cartels operate, Sveriges Radio reports.
Researcher and criminologist Joakim Sturup who contributed to the study said: “When we speak with police and research colleagues abroad, finding a counterpart in other countries is difficult.”
Sturup said that the study found that most of the past violent crime, which was largely associated with outlaw motorcycle gangs, had moved to the suburbs of major cities in Sweden. Many have referred to these areas, like Rinkeby, Tensta, and Husby, as no-go zones as police and emergency services working in those areas are often attacked.
In Husby, the local authorities attempted to revitalise the areas for local businesses by hiring security personnel to protect shops from looting and violence. The effort proved unsuccessful as no security company offered to take on the job due to the dangerous working environment.
The Swedish government has estimated that there are currently 61 no-go areas, up from 55 last year. Swedish National Police Commissioner Dan Eliasson begged the government for assistance to tackle the problem earlier this year and said without help the over 5,000 hard criminals could destabilise the social contract.
“We do not know if there is an increased occurrence of illegal weapons in these environments or if there is a tendency to use the weapons that are available more quickly. But something has happened,” Sturup said.
The city most vulnerable to shooting incidents, according to the report, is the southern city of Malmö. Malmö University criminologist Man Gerell said that in the past several weeks alone multiple people had been shot in the city.
The Malmö suburb of Rosengård is seen as one of the most notorious areas in all of Sweden due to the high prevalence of gang-related crime. Reports have claimed that most of the gangs are filled with young men from migrant backgrounds and Swedish police like Peter Springare have revealed that almost all violent crime in the country is committed by migrants.