Sweden, Norway and Denmark want to strengthen regional co-operation in the fight against gang violence, the countries’ justice ministers announced at a meeting in Copenhagen on Wednesday, as the growing involvement of minors in Swedish gangs raised concerns among Nordic leaders, Euractiv reports.
The justice ministers of both countries intend to step up co-operation with the police and the fight against the use of digital channels for organised crime, Danish Peter Hummelgaard (Social Democratic Party, S&D) and Swede Gunnar Strömmer (Moderate Party, EPP) said at a press conference, respectively.
Strömmer, for his part, also emphasised the importance of youth engagement, noting that “digital channels are being used to recruit young people.”
Both countries have a common interest in reducing gang activity, Strömmer said, without providing concrete measures or plans for what this means in practice.
Denmark, for its part, previously announced plans to introduce border controls with Sweden after young Swedes were arrested on suspicion of several violent offences in Denmark, including murders and bombings.
“We know that gang violence knows no bounds, so we need to step up our efforts,” Hummelgaard told a news conference, noting that since April there have been 25 cases of Danish criminals hiring Swedish youths to commit criminal acts.
Also in Copenhagen, Norwegian Justice and Rescue Minister Emily Enger Mehl announced that Norwegian and Swedish police will begin joint patrols to tackle the problem of gang violence brewing in Sweden.
‘We will take measures so that the police can carry out joint operations and patrol together with the Swedish police. The police themselves have made it clear that they want this,’ Mehl told Norwegian broadcaster TV2.
The joint patrols will mainly take place in Swedish territory at the request of the Swedish police.
Common challenge
In addition, the Norwegian police will send Norwegian criminal police officers (Kripos) to Sweden’s national operational unit to facilitate cross-border knowledge sharing.
The fight against Swedish organised crime is of particular interest to the Norwegian authorities, as pockets of Swedish crime have recently been detected in all regions of Norway.
Meanwhile, a Nordic Centre is being set up in Stockholm, with police officers from Finland, Norway and Denmark. Norwegian and Finnish police officers are already involved, and Danish police officers will join them in a few weeks.
Sweden, which has a population of just 10 million, has the highest rate of gun violence per capita in the EU, with 55 fatal shootings in 363 incidents last year – far more than the other three Nordic countries, which had a total of six fatal shootings.
