To enforce a debt remotely means that the Swedish Enforcement Authority, with the help of the police, seizes property without being present. The possibility was introduced with a legislative change in 2022 and since then, the Swedish Enforcement Authority has been seizing more and more property remotely.
Last year, property worth 115 million kronor was seized in this way, and between January and July this year, it is about 68 million, according to preliminary figures.
According to Johannes Paulson, national coordinator against crime at the Swedish Enforcement Authority, it is almost exclusively criminals and gang criminals who are affected.
Together with the new forfeiture law, remote seizures have become an effective weapon, Paulson believes.
It's just the way it should be, this pressure on criminals. It should be even and tough so that you can't show off your bling-bling, he says.
”Audi, Mercedes”
90 percent of the time, it's about cars and other vehicles being seized.
It's 70-80 cars per month that we take in this way. We're talking Audi, Mercedes, BMW, finer Volvo cars and Tesla. It requires a lot from our logistics to have them in a flow, says Johannes Paulson.
Why is that?
They are visible. Luxury watches are not caught as easily as a car that comes onto the street. These people are hard to find, they don't live at the address where they are registered and they don't have a phone number.
”Can be appealed”
But how legally secure is this? Last year, for example, a case was discovered where a 25-year-old woman in Trelleborg lent her car to a friend - and the car was seized in a police check and sold at auction because the friend had debts.
There was a lot of fuss about that. But everything happens according to the legislation that governs our operations. Our decisions can be appealed and that happens every now and then, says Paulson.
So far, it's only the police who get to enforce remote seizures, but according to a legislative change proposed to come into force in July 2026, customs, the Economic Crime Authority and the Coast Guard will also be included.
Then we'll get a real roll on this. If you think about the Coast Guard, with these finer boats and jet skis. Yes, you hear, I'm getting really enthusiastic.
