Gang criminals and their families are active as both representatives and personal assistants while being criminally active, according to the investigation from the authorities' joint effort against organized crime.
The report provides a clear picture of the extensive way in which organized crime has infiltrated the welfare system in general and social insurance in particular, says Nils Öberg.
Four out of ten in contact
The report is based on a large number of cross-checks of authority data, where payments of the Swedish Social Insurance Agency's benefits to approximately 62,000 individuals have been investigated.
This group has, according to a previous report from the police, been assessed as either being active in criminal networks (around 14,000 individuals) or having connections to the networks, so-called "linked individuals" (around 48,000 individuals). The majority of the linked individuals are believed to engage in criminal activity, often drug trafficking.
The report shows, among other things, that four out of ten users have come into contact with personal assistants who are either linked to or active in organized crime.
The analysis also shows that all 62 largest assistance companies during the period 2022-2023 had personal assistants who were "active" or "linked". On average, 22 such individuals worked as assistants at the companies.
According to the analysis, the groups "active" and "linked" and their close families show "signs of more widespread abuse of social insurance compared to a normal population". This group has simultaneously accumulated nearly 350 million kronor in debts to the Swedish Social Insurance Agency.
Öberg explains that this has been able to continue because different authorities have had difficulty accessing each other's information due to secrecy laws.
But there have been some changes recently, which have given us a better understanding of the scope of the problem and what we can do to address the loopholes, he says.
Vulnerable individuals are being exploited
The presence of organized crime within the industry has consequences for both users and society, according to the analysis. This leads, among other things, to vulnerable individuals being exploited and "people with disabilities being used as criminal tools". Not infrequently, it is children who are affected, and users risk receiving inadequate or no assistance as a consequence of the exploitation.
We are currently intensifying our work with other authorities and also our internal control work. We are in the process of increasing our capacity and increasing our control measures. We need to work in a different way and also challenge the rules we have today, says Nils Öberg.
Those who have a disability and need personal assistance for more than 20 hours per week to manage basic needs may be entitled to assistance benefits from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency.
According to the law, these needs are: breathing, personal hygiene, eating and drinking, dressing and undressing, communication with others, support to prevent harm due to a mental disability, and continuous support due to a medical condition.
If assistance benefits are granted for basic needs for more than 20 hours per week, one can also receive compensation for help with other personal needs. Assistance benefits are provided with a standard amount per hour.
Source: Swedish Social Insurance Agency
Since 2009, state authorities have collaborated with intelligence and operational efforts against criminal individuals, networks, and phenomena in an effort against organized crime.
14 authorities participate in the effort, which is carried out on behalf of the government. These are the Employment Agency, the Economic Crime Authority, the Swedish Social Insurance Agency, the Prison and Probation Service, the Enforcement Authority, the Coast Guard, the Migration Agency, the Pensions Agency, the Police Authority, the Security Service, the Customs Agency, the Payment Agency, and the Prosecution Authority.
12 "network authorities" also participate through information exchange, strategic collaboration, and participation in certain efforts.
