The police no longer need to prove a specific crime to seize and forfeit items linked to criminal profits. The authority has, together with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (The Moderate Party), described the change as crucial to breaking the recruitment of young people to criminal gangs.
The most important thing is to tackle the romanticized subculture and the most visible assets and status symbols that attract, but I unfortunately do not think it will solve the entire problem, says Salazar Atias.
Great Attraction
Another important aspect that is often underestimated is how strong the driving force is to belong to a context where one does not feel like a burden but like a resource.
Salazar Atias has himself been surprised by how strong this driving force has been among young people who have ended up in the hands of gang criminals.
I followed up a large criminal gang in the USA where they were quite poor by our standards. But there was still a great attraction among people who stood outside society. They got a community where people supported and were there for each other.
We know that a young person who does not have that feeling will seek out a place where they get it.
School is Important
Therefore, Salazar Atias believes that society must find a counterforce and offer something that competes with the criminal gangs.
We know from before that school is important. But we also need to see the economic barriers that exist for young people to participate in positive contexts that enable job opportunities and provide a legal economy, without forgetting the barriers we today put up for young people who have a record.
