In a statistical revelation the investigative news programme Kalla Fakta brands as shocking, journalists have determined that around 95 percent of robberies and violent crimes in Sweden are never solved. It also reported that the average police officer solves three crimes per year.
The Local newspaper reports that one in seven Swedes was a victim of crime in 2007. Robberies and violent crimes made up 75 percent of all reported crimes in Sweden last year, which added up to around 900,000. Police managed to solve 5.8 percent of them.
Bengt Svenson, the national police chief, defended his department saying: “There is often very little of value to work with. When it comes to theft, there are no witnesses, and victims often don’t know when the crime occurred. There’s really not much to go on and that obviously makes it hard to solve crimes.”
Justice Minister Beatrice Ask feels the figures are an unwelcome truth for a government that ran on a platform on crime reduction. When elected, the government promised to have 20,000 police on Sweden’s streets by 2010.
Ask feels that part of the problem lies with Sweden’s culture. “I think it has to do with the culture, the idea that there is simply nothing that can be done.” At any rate, Ask says she feels the statistics are rather disturbing and that the Swedish police could do more to clear up these cases.
Reading this was a real eye opener. The vision we are discreetly sold of Sweden in the UK is a gentle, high tax but safe and amiable place where citizens walk around in content safety and everyone gawps with mild indiscretion at the beautiful blondes.
Yet this shows a significant lack of trust in the state.
And while I admire the American logic is it really going to help social deprevation by making “the price of crime” more expensive leaving people to do more desparate, dangerous and radical things? I have to say I am unconvinced.
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> You are absolutely right, orchafine. Looks like justice can come only from ordinary people but they are punished for it on the spot.
That which you speak of is the natural result of liberal social policies on both crime and on guns.
Despite what your media paint, the vast majority of the USA is a place of very little violent crime — and most of the areas where it is prevalent, the victims belong in certain victim groups (like gang members) and/or have… liberal social policies in place (NYC, Los Angeles, and so forth).
If you just remove the violent crime stats from those victim groups, US per capita crime stats across the board drop to below those of most of Europe. This “despite” having allllllll those guns we’re so famous for.
It’s not the Wild West out there. I live in a medium sized town (ca. 250k in the vicinity) in a relatively conservative area (i.e., lots of “rednecks” and gun-toting types, comparatively speaking), yet I know maybe 2-3 people who own guns at all, and they don’t carry them around all the time. And our crime rates all around are far lower than yours.
The real problem you have is an unstated one — criminals have no fear of your citizens at all. A young tough has a whole host of people he can victimize just by having a baseball bat in his hand. When you disarm potential victims, when you punish them for defending themselves via tort law and criminal law, you make the possible cost to the thug to cross a line too low — it is sufficiently cheap that there is little to no risk to them. So many borderline types cross that line, and go into “business” for themselves. And crime rises.
Guns are the great equalizer. They make it expensive to become criminals. And so a fair percentage decide it’s not worth the risk.
Yes, that means you get accidental shootings to go with it. There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch. The percentage of accidents, esp. if you encourage **proper training with ownership**, is much lower than the violent crime which you have.
I’d point you also to the Swiss, who have guns in every house as a matter of course, but don’t have lots of random acts of violence or accidents as a result.
So two choices: Figure out what America is doing right everywhere outside of LA & NYC, and implement it there, and don’t shy away from loosening your gun control obsession (all it does is guarantee the criminals have better weapons than you, the victims, do)
Or come to America, and stay the hell out of the bigger cities — if there are more than 500,000 people, it’s not a place you want to live.
[…] drugs and corrupting society for ten years without being caught when the unsolved crime rate is still around 90% for serious offenses? I guess it’s a good thing he decided to come clean on his own, as apparently the cops are […]
[…] https://www.icenews.is/index.php/2008/11/15/swedens-unsolved-violent-crime-rate-at-95-percent/ […]
I am now living in Skåne län.
When first I came here, I could notice the rules are much more human than the rest of Europe. I notice also the power of the government. He his all over even if things go wrong, the state is still over you.
They control the media, as they are trying to do right now in France, with the new reform of France Television reform.
The education system is also strong and stays part of the best in the world, and they have good reasons to keep it like that. The education, is very access to their own history (which is normal), and the international events are gave you by pieces, like a puzzle. You can’t feel part of some thing or grow up as a militant. Totally opposite to France and Spain, which by historic events and revolutions, big part of citizens feel concerned.
This is also about to change in France. Reforms are being taken to change the education to the “old ways”. I am sure that governments realize how advantageous is to keep your population has lambs.
It might also be interesting to keep the population under a certain level of fear. Comparing with Latin countries, where the population is much more reactive, and innocent people are lynched, Swedish are very civilized. Looking at the immigrations problems in Sweden, it represents not even 1% of the population (correct me if I am wrong), and to add that the government took the initiative to accept refugees. Comparing with other countries of Europe, which the cultural melting pot is much higher, it seems a ridiculous issue.
I feel that the population is interested about other cultures (traveling, music influences…), but when it comes to aspects and your own homes people get restrict. The citizens have only one way to see things and are not informed about the way of life of other cultures. Look per instance, the muslins laws taken. They mean good (I hope), but they where passed in the parliament without any European Arab consulting or Muslim advisers specialized in integration and immigration. They where studied in a westernized social point of view. I will not be surprised if some smart people are taking advantage of it.
Well fare system, is not what it used to be before 91, since it was getting bankrupt. It’s definitely better than Iceland, in social points of view. The way we new it, is dead. Comparing to worse systems (like US and others), it makes always easier to pass the pill to the population.
See an example of swedish welfare system in collapse.
Handlar om Sverige, Klockaregarden, Trollhattan och kollapsen av valfardsystemet lank adressen ar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eZN59iTctc
Another wonderful example – the local bank cash machine did not give the requested cash out to me and I contacted the bank. They told me that I have to report this to the police. Which I did. Two weeks later nothing has been done, despite the fact that there is a videotape available from the bank where the problem is captured completely – the money was issued later and a person whose face is on the tape took the cash and went. The police does not do anything at all, even if they have all the evidence they will not act – it is normal here and nothing can change it, the mentality is to take as much as possible and give nothing in return. Why do I pay taxes? Just to keep myself away from prison. I get nothing for my taxes for sure.
Don’t get me wrong I absolutely hate the filth(Police)
You are absolutely right, orchafine. Looks like justice can come only from ordinary people but they are punished for it on the spot. I have a drug dealer living next door and he is also a drug addict. No doubt that those people are sick and unpredictable – if he goes nuts one day and hurts anyone from my family I cannot imagine waiting for the police to arrive, they will be too busy being on strike demanding more money so they can comfortably do nothing for OUR money. If I hit this drug addict then they will be happy to send me to prison.
And the funny thing Snorri, is if you buy a gun from the Serbians refugees and start to defend your self or what’s yours, they will come quickly to arrest you.
It’s a twisted world, isn’t it?
We have contacted the Police Head Office several times and many times we heard promises to sort out the unattended matters but not even once anything was done.
The local newspaper has reported that the solving rate is above 80% – they must have meant some other country.
Our car was smashed by a drunken neighbor and there were witnesses and other proof, but the police refused to come. When we call them to report drug addicts and drug sellers in the area again they refuse come or the best option – the phone does not answer for hours. The local policeman refuses to take reports and ends “investigations” with the same result – he sends out letters after keeping silent for months saying that he will not investigate anything. This is absolutely normal here and we have never seen any proper work from the police in Sweden.
The vast majority of these 900.000 crimes are “theft” and not robberies as stated.
And includes everything from a missing laptop computer to a stolen bike.
The “brutal” cuts in the police budget have no doubt hurt the “qos” (quality of service)
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Well, the murder of Olof Palme and the totally blundered investigations following it already raised criticism that Swedish police may be more part of the problem that the solution. Sad to see that the unacceptable mindset of the officers still doesn’t seem to have changed. Caring more about looking for excuses than for the offenders certainly isn’t boosting performance in any way.