At the police in the Stockholm area, 22 motorcycles are being unloaded from a truck after they were seized in Poland and returned to Sweden.
The vehicles were part of a European theft ring, which was discovered after private individual Erik Asp from Leksand was able to track his stolen quad bike with a GPS transmitter and alert the Polish police. Ten people were convicted of the thefts this summer.
In this particular case, Asp's first contact with the Swedish police was "not perfect," admits Mats Berggren, deputy head of the police's National Operations Department (Noa). But work against the theft gangs has paid off, he emphasizes.
Sharp decrease
Since the police began their new working method in 2023, the number of reported thefts has decreased by over 100,000. When it comes to theft crimes where foreign gangs are involved, reports have decreased by half, according to Mats Berggren.
The police's new method involves using immigration laws to prevent thefts. Criminals are identified and then deported and banned from re-entering the country.
It could be that they have been convicted in other countries, which makes us aware of them. Once we find such a person, we can often continue the investigation to see who they are traveling with, says Mats Berggren.
The gangs also find it quite difficult to adjust and change their crime in the face of the tougher work environment.
They are often highly specialized. If you want to steal a gearbox for a boat engine, a catalytic converter or a modern car, you need special knowledge and special tools. The difference we see is that they go to other countries instead, says Berggren.
Connection to Russia
But a lot is still being stolen. Right now, many boat engines and motor drives are disappearing around Stockholm and Västerås. And the soaring metal prices have led to an increasing number of copper thefts, says Berggren.
Even powerful cars, like the Mercedes G63 AMG, are rolling targets right now. The police suspect they are disappearing into the war in Ukraine.
Especially to the Russian side. We believe that many cars are heading that way and that there are organized gangs with connections to the Russian side.
