Swedish police and civilian workers at a police station in the no-go Stockholm suburb of Rinkeby will receive police escorts to and from the building to maintain their safety.
The workers at the newly built police station in Rinkeby have previously expressed concerns that locals, criminals, and youths might follow them home or slash their tyres. As the new station is set to open, police have decided to enact evening patrols to escort workers to and from the station.
Jörgen Ohlsson, the station’s project manager, said the patrols could include escorting workers to the local metro or standing watch outside, Swedish police newspaper Polistidningen reports.
“Security is something that we keep track of, and we have solutions to use if the situation changes,” Ohlsson said.
The new police station is set to open on September 1st, with officers moving there from their current location in nearby Solna.
The Rinkeby police station has faced several problems during development in recent years, including construction companies failing to bid on the project in 2017 because many said the area was too dangerous for their workers.
Even police officers anonymously came forward with concerns, with one saying: “It’s too dangerous to build a police station in the area.”
They added: “It would have to be guarded around the clock. This is because not only is there the risk of theft, but also the danger and threat to staff who will be working on the construction project.”
Just a year later, the construction site was attacked when masked men rammed a car through the site’s gates and then set the vehicle on fire. The attackers also threw rocks and fireworks at a security guard.
Rinkeby is located near several other “vulnerable areas” in Stockholm including the suburb of Tensta, which saw a man shot earlier this week.
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