In the Västervik local police area, which includes six municipalities, seven school threats in eight days have consumed significant police resources and caused concern among students, staff and parents.
Klas Werme, an operations coordinator, recalls the school shootings in Örebro and Fagersta.
It becomes almost insulting when children and young people treat this as a joke, when we know these are wounds people will carry with them for the rest of their lives, and that some may even have lost close relatives, he says.
Last week, three different schools in Vimmerby were targeted within 24 hours. Police have questioned several young people suspected of involvement, both under and over the age of 15. Computers and mobile phones were seized during searches of homes, and their contents are now being analyzed.
It is important for us to get a picture of whether there are contacts with people in other parts of the country who engage in this type of threat, says Klas Werme.
The police's message is that the threats must stop. Parents can play an important role by taking a more active interest in their children's digital lives, says Sofia Karlsson, head of the Västervik local police area.
You need to ask, "What has your digital world looked like today?" just as you ask how things have been at school, because they spend just as much time there - if not more, she says.
