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Photo: Anders Wiklund / TT
Stefan Löfven on a previous occasion.
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Photo: Anders Wiklund / TT
Stefan Löfven on a previous occasion.
NEWS
Malmö inspires and shows that it is possible to reverse the development around gang crime.
This was stated by Prime Minister Stefan Löfven at a digital meeting on “Stop shooting” in Malmö, which has been approved for use in other parts of the country.
Löfven also highlighted that it is the general job that Malmö has done well, with tough action against criminals and a focus on restricting new recruitment to gangs.
The shooting stop project has been expanded in Malmö after it was concluded that it cannot be ruled out that it has contributed to a positive trend in terms of reducing the number of shootings in the city since the project was introduced, from 65 shootings in 2017 to 20 shootings in 2020. Stop shooting is a collaboration between the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, the Malmö Police and the City of Malmö, where they look for people who are or are at risk of ending up in criminal gang settings to enter with the hard gloves against violence, but also to show that there is help to get out of gang crime. Now the method can also be implemented in other municipalities.
The method is based on a US concept of Gang Violence Intervention (GVI), where through conversations, home visits and group meetings you must deliver a collective message from the authorities: “take your finger off the trigger , we don’t want to die or die “.
Malmö Police: “We are balancing on a difficult line”
On Wednesday, a digital meeting was held with, among others, the project leaders and Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and Interior Minister Mikael Damberg to report and discuss what has been done in Malmö to help reduce shootings. Among other things, Stefan Sintéus, head of the police area, participated, who stressed that there are still problems with crime in Malmö, but that the project is one of several things, together with, among other things, stricter legislation, which helps to crime prevention work.
– We are incredibly proud to have reduced the number of shootings from 65 to 20, but there were still 20 shootings going on.
– We are humble for the future, we know that it is a difficult line in which we are balancing. We have conflicts in Malmö, but we see that strategy means that we can influence conflicts in a positive way from the beginning, Stefan Sintéus said at the meeting.
The police also noted that the activity of the defectors is strong and well developed in Malmö, something that is described as crucial for projects like Sluta skjut to work.
“Joint forces”
Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh (S), president of the Malmö city council, stressed that the project has led to increased cooperation between the authorities. He also highlights that it’s not just hard times that are the key to success.
– Through joint efforts, we have driven change from the beginning. In parallel, we have worked to strengthen the deserter program. It is a clearly conscious strategy, not only can you work with the repressive but there must be tools to receive those who want to quit smoking.
– Another thing we often come back to is chasing money, making it difficult to obtain black money and engaging in illegal activities, says Stjernfeldt Jammeh.
The big picture is something that Prime Minister Stefan Löfven highlights as a success from Malmö’s side.
– Malmö shows that you can turn a negative event into a positive event, it is all here that is important, said the Prime Minister at the press conference.
– Gang crime must be handled harshly here and now, that’s why we are tightening the penalties, why we are introducing more police, and the police will have more opportunities for surveillance with cameras, among other things. But you also have to add something that breaks the new hire, and Malmö has worked very systematically for a long time in collaboration with social services, schools, etc., to also see that fewer young people should apply for crime.
Photo: Janerik Henriksson / TT
The interior minister during a press conference on gang crimes and shootings on Tuesday. The figures show a positive evolution. Archive photography as of March 10.
Stefan Löfven also highlighted other municipalities with positive results and mentions Södertälje in particular.
– The long term shows both Malmö and Södertälje that it is possible to do something about it. It is integrity, perseverance that is needed, both in the municipality and in the field, which is precisely why we work both hard and also to make sure we stop new hires.
Malmö “was the symbol of gang violence”
Interior Minister Mikael Damberg, who also attended the meeting, believes that the project may have played a role in Malmö and that now several municipalities are lining up to do something similar. He had previously told Aftonbladet that it is important to listen to the Malmö experiences and that it is encouraging to see that cooperation can lead to a reduction in violence.
– We see that Malmö has shown the way in which it is possible to reverse the development of serious violence. Stopping shooting can be part of this.
On a question from P4 Malmöhus that Gothenburg already sees a downward trend without the project, and whether it is good to introduce it anyway even though it cannot be said specifically what works, Mikael Damberg emphasizes that it cannot be said that The project individually led to the reduction in the number of shootings, but that’s a contributing factor.
– This is an internationally evaluated method that has led to reducing shootings in quite a few cities in the US. Then they tried it in Malmö, the city that was unfortunately the symbol of gang violence, it might not be fun to say, but it was like that, we had a lot of shootings in Malmö.
– This is a component in Malmö that goes from the situation to a completely different situation today. We will continue to evaluate both this model and the work of other municipalities and regions against gang crime, this method may be a contributing factor but it is not the complete explanation, says Mikael Damberg, Minister of the Interior.
Mikael Damberg describes that the list of municipalities that have shown interest in introducing “Stop Shooting” methods is now long.
– It is not possible to implement this method in all cities at the same time, but some municipalities that have already reached out and raised their hands and said they want to go ahead are Gothenburg, Uppsala Botkyrka and also some other areas in the Stockholm region. . The Stockholm region is so big, so it’s a bit more complicated for that reason, says Mikael Damberg.
– The message is quite clear, to be able to do this, the municipalities must also go long-term and work with quite large efforts for the activities of the defectors, otherwise it will not work, concludes the Interior Minister.
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