STOCKHOLM (Reuters) – Sweden’s police union urged the government on Monday to set up a crisis commission to stop a wave of gun violence that saw two people shot dead and two others wounded in Stockholm over the weekend.
Shootings have become an almost daily occurrence, according to police statistics, with most blamed on gangs.
“What we are seeing now with these shootings is a threat not only to individuals, but to our whole society,” the union said in a statement.
A 15-year-old boy and a 45-year-old man died after Saturday’s shooting in southern Stockholm. Another 15-year-old and a woman were wounded.
Two men were later arrested. Police said the motive remained unclear.
The union called for a broad commission including government, local authorities and civil society to stop the violence.
“This isn’t something the police can fight against alone,” it said.
Sweden’s right-wing government came to power last year promising to end the violence that has shocked a nation that until recently prided itself on order and social harmony.
The ruling coalition – supported by the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats – has blamed the unrest on what it says are decades of failed integration policies.
Both the current government and its left-of-centre predecessor have boosted the budget for the police and the criminal justice system, but the shootings have continued.
According to the police, there were 144 shooting incidents in Sweden this year up to the end of May, on average about one a day.
At least 20 people have been killed this year, including the two in Stockholm over the weekend.
In 2022, there were 391 shootings leading to 62 deaths, according to police figures. That was up from 46 deaths the year before.
(Reporting by Simon Johnson; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
