The police point out that the number of weapon and drug seizures was low, in relation to the number of searches conducted in the area during the two weeks in July when the zone was active.
This is interpreted as the "signal value of the zone having had the intended effect", according to Kristoffer Olofsson, local police chief in Södertälje.
"Even the primary objective, to prevent explosions and shootings, can be considered fulfilled since none occurred in the area during the two weeks the security zone was in effect", he says in a press release.
Shootings
However, several shootings took place in other parts of the city while the zone was active. Shortly after it was discontinued, a bombing also occurred in the zone and two attempted murders in adjacent areas.
This highlights the "complex problem picture" that characterizes Södertälje, where there are parallel conflicts spanning multiple city districts, according to the police.
"In such a situation, with a need for a more sustainable and dynamic resource, a security zone may not be the most effective method for preventing this type of crime", says Olofsson.
Individual location
According to the report, the zones may instead be most useful where the police can identify an "individual location" with an increased risk of violence, where the zone is deemed to be able to temporarily reduce the risks.
The law on security zones, also known as visitation zones, faced strong criticism before it came into effect last spring. The criticism concerned, among other things, that the zones risked undermining trust in the authorities in the areas if anyone could be subject to visitation. However, the police assert that this was not the case in Södertälje.
"Experiences from Södertälje suggest that the establishment of a security zone, contrary to many people's fears, was appreciated by residents and business owners in the area", writes the Stockholm police.
A total of 204 body searches and 26 vehicle searches were conducted in the security zone, which covered the city districts of Geneta and Västra Blombacka for two weeks. This is assumed to be significantly more than normal.
A large proportion of the searches involved individuals who had been searched multiple times. Only 1.5 percent of the searches concerned women.
Source: The police
A security zone, also known as a visitation zone, can be established in areas where there is a "manifest" risk of conflict between criminal networks involving shootings or bombings – and where the zone is deemed to be of "particular" importance for preventing this.
In the zone, which is to be in effect for a maximum of two weeks but can be extended with a new decision, the police have the right to body search both adults and children, as well as search vehicles, without a specific suspicion of crime.
