The 9,000,000 inhabitants of Sweden reported 1,377,000 offences to the authorities in 2008(149 offences/1000 inhabitants). The number of reported crimes have increased radically since a national statistics began in 1950. A lot of this is attributed to a higher degree of reports, but the largest factor is the factual increase of crimes.[1]
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1950 was the year Sweden began recording national crime statistics. In 1950, 195,000 crimes were reported. In 1964, the number was 368,000. Between 1975 and 1990, the number of reported offences rose by 61 percent at a steady rate. In the 90s, the number fluctuated between years, but was generally not increasing. Recent years have seen a slight increase, but the level of crime is no higher than it was in 1990.
Immigrants are overrepresented in Sweden's crime statistics. During the period 1997-2001, 25% of the almost 1,520,000 offences were committed by people born overseas, while almost 20% were committed by Swedish-born people with a foreign background. Those from North Africa and the Middle East were overrepresented.[1]
Of the crimes reported to the authorities in 2003, 53% were theft-related, 13% were contact crimes,[2] 12% were vandalism and destruction, 6% were traffic crimes (not including minor incidents), 5% were fraud-related and 3% were narcotics-related.
It should be noted that many crimes go unreported. According to studies, only 22% of those affected by violence reported the offence to the authorities, and about 50% of those affected by vandalism. Some increases in the statistics are attributed to a higher level of reporting.
In 2003, there were 189 homicides reported in Sweden.[3] In 2001, there were 169 reported, which gives a rate of approximately 2 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. This, however, is due to serious shortcomings in the way that the Swedish police report crimes. For example, in the year 2002, 223 homicides were reported, but the actual number of homicides was only between 91-99. This was due to murders being committed abroad but filed in Sweden, double reports, people being reported as murdered if the police had but a suspicion of foul play (their deaths remaining filed as homicides, even if the person later turned out to have died of natural causes).[4] Taking this into consideration, this gives Sweden little more than 1 homicide per 100,000 inhabitants. This figure is in line with most European countries, which also have a level of between 1-2.[5]
Stockholm's homicide rate is on par with most capitals,[6] with around 3 annual homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, although the numbers are hard to compare due to large fluctuations between years. Murders are significantly less common now than in the 19th Century and earlier eras.
International comparisons are notably hard to make due to many variations in laws, legislations, jurisdiction and the process of reporting crimes. In a 1996 research study of 11 industrial countries, 24% of Swedes themselves state they had been affected by a criminal act (the average rate of all countries surveyed). Sweden, in addition to Switzerland and the Netherlands, was distinguished by a high rate of petty crimes, such as bicycle theft. Assaults and threats, however, are common: Sweden ranked third of the countries surveyed. The risk of getting mugged, however, is low—0.5% of Swedes surveyed reported to have been mugged.
The percentage of the population in prison is also significantly lower than in most other countries. Of 100,000 inhabitants, 59 lived in prison facilities in 2001, which is about the same rate as the other Scandinavian countries. By comparison, most industrial countries in Europe had a rate of around 100 (England & Wales 125, Germany 97, Italy 90); and some eastern Europe states range between 150-300. The United States ranks high above Sweden with 682 inmates per 100,000 inhabitants, topped only by Russia's 729.[7]
Some of these numbers may be due to variations in prison types. Sweden makes frequent use of electronic fetters, allowing the prisoner to live at home (but under constant surveillance, including a no-alcohol policy.) Yet, the Swedish prison system is not generally severe. The maximum sentence—a "life" sentence—means imprisonment for an undetermined period no longer than the span of the prisoner's natural life, and the prisoner is generally released after 15–20 years.
In the late 1990s a new kind of crime drew the attention of media: muggings among youths. This phenomenon bears a strong relationship to the waves of immigrants that arrived in Sweden the 1990s.. Some examples that (sometimes unfairly) came to define the situation in respective city were Bergsjön in Göteborg; Rinkeby in Stockholm; and Rosengård in Malmö.
These areas with their (relatively) low socioeconomic standard and high unemployment led to segregation, and at the same time the rate of foreigner related crimes were reported as being at a significant for Swedish standards but nothing in comparison with the rest of the world. The truth of this were much disputed in Swedish media. Opponents maintain this to be a result of xenophobia, hostility and misunderstanding. Yet results continuously show the undisputed facts of foreigners from the low-standard socio-economical neighbourhoods as much more likely crime suspects. In Malmö, the person injured was a native Swede in 71% of cases; the suspect mugger was however foreign-born in 61% of cases.
A study was eventually called for and published in 2000 by the National Council for Crime Prevention.[8] Of teenagers in 9th grade, 10% of boys and 5% of girls had been the target of muggings during the last 2 years. The rates of gymnasium students were about the same. Similarly, 10% of the questioned boys admitted as having mugged others; 5% of girls.
Desirable objects are mainly money (35%) and cell phones (34%). The average value of stolen items were around 700 SEK (~90 US$).
Juvenile robberies reported to the police annually.
| Town | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999, Jan. – June |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malmö | 53 | 58 | 170 | 210 | 196 |
| Stockholm | 569 | 411 | 709 | 682 | 613 |
The same study also showed that only ca 50% reported muggings to the police.
Sweden is one of few countries in the world to have criminalized only the buying of sexual acts (the client commits a crime, but not the prostitute). The Swedish government considers prostitution a form of exploitation of women.
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