Drones, facial recognition and 2,500 new cameras: Sweden’s commitment to combat its wave of violence

The deadliest month in terms of firearms in four years, summarized the newspaper Dagens Nyheter. This is how it made history last September in Sweden, a Scandinavian country located in northern Europe, which saw the loss of 11 people following shootings and even bomb attacks. And the response from the right-wing government of Ulf Kristersson, the Swedish Prime Minister, will be the implementation of a security plan including drones, a facial recognition system and nearly 2,500 surveillance cameras.

Attacks between criminal gangs, mainly linked to drug trafficking, have mobilized political forces linked to the government to find a solution. At the end of September, the entry of the Swedish army to support the police was announced, assistance which began this week with help in analysis and logistics, as well as explosives handling and forensic work , detailed the BBC. But a new step has been taken in this direction with the Prime Minister’s announcement of the inclusion of technological equipment in the fight against gang violence.

This Tuesday, the Minister of Justice, Gunnar Strömmer, announced a “camera offensive”, which will make it possible to install more such equipment in a country which, since the start of the millennium, has not installed more than a few hundred police cameras. Currently, there are around 11,500 in the capital, at least in the private part.

The integration of 2,500 of them – to be installed next year – is a significant step in a country that traditionally views their use with skepticism, the Times reported. The addition of 1,600 of them had already been proposed, but given the circumstances, the Executive increased this figure to 900 more than initially planned. According to the Minister of Justice, this will involve quintupling the number of cameras since the current government came to power.

But this time, the measure is welcomed by a large part of the political spectrum, excluding the left and the green parties, who fear that it is too harsh a response and that it threatens the private lives of citizens, indicates the British newspaper. One of the measures that began to be implemented this week is that security services are empowered to carry out wiretapping without preliminary evidence of a suspected crime, the Times explained.

Possible legislative changes that Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s government is seeking to implement would also allow the active use of drones, as well as the use of external cameras, such as those of the Swedish Transport Administration.

“Cameras are extremely important in a situation like this,” Strömmer said, Euractiv reported. “In a situation where fewer and fewer people dare to speak to the police, the need for technical evidence is crucial, and we already know that cameras are extremely important,” he added.

On the other hand, the social democratic opposition adhered to the position of the Swedish Prime Minister, who declared that cameras would be an “integral part” of the fight against gangs and that facial recognition – based on artificial intelligence – and recognition of driving licenses would help continue the fight against gangs. the trail of suspected criminals.

Magdalena Andersson, leader of the Social Democratic opposition and former prime minister of the Scandinavian country, called the situation a “national emergency”, justifying, among other things, the use of the army to contain the crisis, the Times reported .

The same media outlets explained that the attacks are usually carried out by “child soldiers”, young people under the age of 21 from the outskirts of Stockholm, the Swedish capital, Malmö and other major cities in the country, many of whom come from migrant families living in Sweden. adrift. , explained the London newspaper.

Stockholm County Police Commissioner Carin Gotblad, who works in the most critical area for shootings in the capital, assured that gangs recruit around a thousand young people per year, adds the same media. This is why, in addition to the technological approach, the Kristersson government is seeking to significantly toughen sanctions against gang members under the age of 21.