Over 30 explosions and several fatal shootings – just in January. The number of bombings that have started the year is unprecedented in its scope, claims the police.
When violence escalates, it usually involves conflicts between criminal networks that have escalated, according to Manne Gerell.
But now the police are talking about it being largely about conflicts between criminal networks and civilian entrepreneurs. About extortion. Then you get partially different explanations to bring forward.
Gerell researches gang violence at Malmö University and notes that extortion attempts against civilians have occurred before. But not to the extent seen now.
To some extent, it's about the criminality adapting. If it's as the police say, we'll see more of this type of violent crime to make money.
"Hard to explain"
The police are also worried about the dramatic increase in young perpetrators and warned earlier in the week that there is a large-scale recruitment of children and young people on social media.
That something needs to be done is easy to establish. Manne Gerell points out, among other things, that we need to get rid of the bomb makers, reduce access to bombs, and stop the recruiters in the middle.
Finding concrete explanations for the development is not as easy.
Have we always had children who were willing to shoot and blow things up without being recruited beforehand? Maybe. Has it become easier to recruit via social media? It could be, but why don't gangs in other countries do it?
Or has there been an explosive increase in the number of children willing to take on such tasks? It's hard to explain such a rapid change, says Manne Gerell.
"Ahead of them"
At the same time, Sweden is not unique in an international context. In both Belgium and the Netherlands, the number of explosions has increased. In the Netherlands, similar trends can be seen where children are recruited in different chat groups.
Sweden is probably among the worst, and we're a bit ahead of them. But it's very similar to what we see here, says Manne Gerell.
