The so-called risk supporters are suspected of crimes including several cases of serious assault, tax offenses and the law on flammable and explosive goods, the police state in a press release.
Several of them have a criminal past.
”Violence-approving extremism”
Several people are convicted of crimes such as violence against women, serious extortion, general destructive rampage, firearms offenses and several have connections to various criminal networks. It's about MC gangs and violence-approving extremism, says Emelie Kullmyr, police area manager in Greater Gothenburg, to TT.
The police see it as particularly serious that there are suspicions that the risk supporters are trying to draw in young people into more serious crime.
One has fights in town and crimes that occur in connection with football matches, where one ties young people to oneself. When it is people who are in serious organized crime who get young people to themselves, it is an obvious risk that the young people are drawn into further crime, says Kullmyr.
She says that there is a collaboration with other authorities, municipalities and schools to catch signals about young people who may be in a risk zone.
All young people should be able to go to football, but it's when we see the serious organized crime as a dark cloud over this that we must act to get rid of those elements from football, says Emelie Kullmyr.
”Want to exclude people”
Kullmyr says that the police work according to the exclusion strategy. That is, football supporters who, for example, are convicted of crimes committed in connection with matches can be banned from the arenas through an entry ban, which the prosecutor decides on.
These over 30 people have connections to serious crime and when we look at the exclusion strategy, we want to have safe and secure arrangements, and then we want to exclude people who commit crimes or disturbances, says Kullmyr.
Considering the ages of the risk supporters, it's a wide range, says senior prosecutor Mats Ihlbom. Everything from 15 years to 40-year-olds.
We have already brought some charges. One came a couple of weeks ago about blue light sabotage, last week it was one about violent riot, says Ihlbom.
The police in Gothenburg state that around 30 so-called risk supporters can be linked to around 100 crime suspicions, but it's not just about crimes that have been committed in connection with football matches.
There are ongoing preliminary investigations that concern several cases of serious assault, tax offenses and crimes against the law on flammable and explosive goods.
According to the police, several of the individuals have previously been convicted of, for example, violence against women, narcotics offenses, attempted serious extortion, general destructive rampage and firearms offenses.
The police write in a press release that they have seen connections to various criminal networks, MC gangs and violence-approving extremism in several cases.
The police have also investigated crimes that have occurred in connection with football matches, such as sabotage against emergency services, violence against officials and violent riot. These crimes have been reported to the prosecutor.
