In September, 12 people died as a result of gang violence – this is the highest number since December 2019.
The Swedish army will help the police in the fight against armed crime.
This was stated by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson after an emergency meeting with the country's chief military commander, writes the BBC.
The Swedish Prime Minister announced these measures against the backdrop of a sharp increase in the number of attacks using firearms and explosive devices.
Just last week, two young men were shot dead within 12 hours in Stockholm.
In addition, in one of the settlements north of the capital, a 24-year-old woman died as a result of an explosion in her home .
According to the newspaper Dagens Nyheter, this is the highest figure since December 2019.
The army will next week help police with data analysis, logistics, forensics and explosives work, according to the authorities.
Kristersson also spoke about the need to legislatively expand the powers of the army.
“I cannot help but admit how serious the situation is. Sweden has never seen anything like this before. No country in Europe is experiencing this now,” – Kristersson said.
Swedish media have linked the country's rising murder rate to internal conflict within a criminal gang known as the Foxtrot network. It is known that it has split into two competing groups and clashes regularly occur between them.
Swedish police believe that local gangs are increasingly using children to commit crimes, since children under 18 often receive light sentences in courts or remain without punishment at all.
According to law enforcement agencies, increasingly younger children (some as young as 10 years old) are being involved in drug trafficking, and among them there is a growing number of those who use lethal weapons in conflicts.< /p>
In Sweden it is relatively easy to buy illegal weapons, which come mainly from Balkan countries, police say.
It was previously reported that US police discovered the remains of a long-dead man in the refrigerator of one of the private apartments in Tooele, Utah
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