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CRIME

Swedes increasingly concerned about crime: survey

Swedes are increasingly worried about crime, and women are more concerned about it than men, according to new figures from the country's National Council on Crime Prevention (Brå).

Published: 16 January 2018 14:23 CET
Swedes increasingly concerned about crime: survey
Swedes are increasingly concerned about crime. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Numbers released by Brå from the forthcoming 2017 edition of the National Crime Survey (NTU) suggest that almost a third of the population (29 percent) are to a large extent worried about crime in Swedish society, an increase compared to 2016 (25 percent) and a return to the same level as the first time the matter was measured in 2006. The level had decreased between 2006 and 2011 before the trend changed.

At the same time confidence in the Swedish legal system has declined, with 55 percent of the population now saying they have high confidence in it, down six percent from 2016. As has confidence in the police (54 percent, down from 61 percent in 2016) and confidence in prosecutors (44 percent, down from 50 percent in 2016).

According to Brå's deputy unit head, public discourse on those matters as well as media reporting are reasonable explanations for the changes.

“Though the study doesn't provide explanations and is rather designed to follow developments of the level of concern about crime, we can still see the changes against the background of other figures showing there is an increased exposure to different crimes. There has also now for a quite long period in Sweden been a debate over safety and crimes in different forms, and discussions about the police capacity to deal with cases. That can have an impact,” Brå's Åsa Strid told The Local.

READ ALSO: Growing number of Swedes are victims of crime

The figures show a gender discrepancy in the level of concern, with women generally more worried than men. More women (23 percent) than men (17 percent) are concerned about break-ins for example (the crime Swedes are most concerned about), and the difference is even greater when it comes to concerns about violence, with 23 percent of women worried about being assaulted compared to nine percent of men.

Brå also measured concerns citizens have about going out late at night in their neighbourhood, and the difference between genders continued: 30 percent of women said they felt very or quite unsafe doing so, or so unsafe that they would choose not to go out, compared to only nine percent of men.

“We've seen that difference since we started doing the studies, that women are more insecure and worried about crime,” Strid noted.

Brå's 2017 National Crime Survey took in the opinions of 11,600 people in Sweden. The full results will be published on January 29th.

Another survey by Brå in November found that 1.2 percent of respondents had been victims of house break-ins and 2.7 percent said they had been victims of assault.

READ ALSO: Swedish police improve rape processing rate, but violent crime slips

For members

QURAN BURNINGS

Three ways Sweden could make it easier to stop Quran burnings

A new report recommends amending Sweden's Public Order Act to allow the police to prevent Quran burnings in the interest of national security.

Published: 5 July 2024 12:42 CEST
Three ways Sweden could make it easier to stop Quran burnings

The inquiry commission mandated by the Swedish government to look into whether applications for demonstrations with planned Quran burnings could be rejected on the grounds that they present a threat to national security presented its recommendations on July 5th.

The commission announced that Sweden’s Public Order Act could be amended to allow the police to prevent Quran burnings, citing national security concerns.

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The government set up the commission in response to violent protests in Muslim countries triggered by Quran burnings in Sweden in recent years.

These events included the storming of the Swedish embassy in Baghdad in July 2023 and an increased terrorist threat against Sweden, prompting the authorities to investigate how the police could consider national security when deciding on permits for public gatherings, including demonstrations.

Commission recommendations

The investigation, led by Mattias Larsson, the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå) head, concluded that the laws could be adjusted to allow the police to factor in Sweden’s security without violating constitutional or European laws.

Its report (which you can read in full here) presented three potential approaches.

The first approach would allow the police to impose conditions on the time or place of the gathering or outright refuse permits if the event is likely to pose a significant threat to national security, such as acts of terrorism or crimes threatening Swedish interests abroad.

The second suggested that the police could set conditions other than timing or location to safeguard national security, such as banning specific acts during the demonstration, like burning books.

The third approach proposed amending the rules to give the police more power to set conditions for the time and place of the gathering without introducing new security considerations.

All three options aim to increase the ability to cancel a public gathering if necessary to protect life and health during the event. 

These legal changes are intended to take effect on July 1st, 2025, after a period of consultation.

The broader context

The move comes after Denmark passed legislation in December 2023 criminalising the “inappropriate treatment” of religious texts, effectively banning Quran burnings.

Despite this, Sweden’s Justice Minister, Gunnar Strömmer, has previously argued against following Denmark’s approach, emphasising the importance of free speech and existing laws against hate speech.

Strömmer’s stance reflects the Swedish government’s belief that a flat-out ban is unnecessary.

Instead, the focus has been on reviewing the Public Order Act to ensure that national security considerations can be integrated into decisions about demonstration permits.

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