The head of the intelligence unit of the National Operational Department (NOA) of the Swedish police force said that many of the gangs in no-go vulnerable areas consist of second-generation migrants who have formed a new type of gang culture.
Linda Staaf spoke to broadcaster Sveriges Radio on Thursday about the current state of gang crime in Sweden. She said that there are three types of criminal gang structures, of which migrant-background gangs are the newest to emerge in the country.
“Overall, we have three types of criminal structures: criminal organisations, such as criminal motorcycle gangs; family-based criminal networks in clan structures; and a new type of culture and network – that is, loose networks that are mainly gang criminals in vulnerable areas,” Staaf said.
“The loosely composed networks often consist of second-generation immigrants. Parts of the clan structure are brought with them like honour and blood vengeance,” she added.
According to Staaf, many of the second-generation migrants may have grown up feeling alienated from Swedish society and turned to gangs. She added that “too few have put their foot down against the provocative behaviour and in some cases, it has been allowed to grow into mindless power struggles”.
“Their parents would never behave like this in their home countries, but this is a culture that has emerged in Sweden,” she said.
The comments come just weeks after senior police officer Mats Löfving stated there was a direct link between mass migration and rising levels of gang violence in Sweden.
“These clans come to Sweden solely with the purpose of organising and systematising crime. They work to create power, they have a great capacity for violence, and they want to make money. And they do that with drugs, violent crimes, and extortion,” Löfving said and claimed there were at least 40 criminal clan gangs active in the country.
Prior reports have also indicated that many gangs have migrant-background leaders and members, including a February report that stated all of the leaders of violent street gangs in Stockholm had migrant backgrounds and over half were not born in Sweden.