Sweden is facing a surge in gang crime with juveniles being hired to carry out vandalism, bombings and murder
Sweden is set to fast-track legislation enabling police to use electronic surveillance on children under 15 following a spate of serious crimes committed by teens recruited by criminal gangs, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced on Thursday. The country has grappled with a surge in gang-related shootings and bombings in recent years.
In 2023, Sweden had one of the highest levels of deadly gun violence per capita in Europe, with internationally connected gangs increasingly recruiting children.
Kristersson said the government would push the legislation to enter into force “in the fall of 2025,” allowing police to access mobile phones and electronically wiretap children under the age of 15.
“It is quite obvious that we don’t have control over the wave of violence,” he told reporters.
Sweden has seen an unprecedented series of bombings, primarily in the Stockholm region, with more than 30 incidents this month alone. Most of the extortion cases were gang-related, targeting businesses and citizens, according to police officials. The January bombings have damaged buildings and caused injuries but no fatalities. In some areas of Stockholm, police have even instructed residents to stay indoors at certain times.
“During the month of January, there has been an average of one blast per day. This trend must of course be stopped,” said Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer.
According to police, many teenage contract killers are very young and are being recruited from abroad. Around 600 criminals targeting Sweden live abroad, police data shows.
“We see 12-, 13- and 14-year-olds carry out horrific violent assignments as if they were extra jobs. The assignments are communicated completely openly on digital marketplaces. Crime is often controlled by gang criminals who are abroad,” Sweden’s national police chief Petra Lundh said, as quoted by Politico.
Officials say that Sweden’s gang crime is highly organized and complex, with leaders operating from abroad through intermediaries who use encrypted messaging platforms such as Telegram, Snapchat, and Signal to recruit teenagers under 15, the age of criminal responsibility.
Kristersson criticized social media platforms for failing to do enough to protect children. “If this is not done, we will use Swedish law against their ability to use the platforms in this way.”
Last year, Sweden’s parliament granted police the authority to establish so-called security zones, allowing searches in designated areas without a warrant or probable cause. The justice minister also announced that the government was imposing tougher sentences on youth offenders.
