We understand that the escalation of violence we are seeing now implies a sense of insecurity and also a feeling of powerlessness, says Hampus Nygårds, deputy chief at Noa, at a press conference about the explosions in Sweden.
The increase in violence does not primarily concern increased conflicts between gangs, he says.
The majority of the explosions we have been affected by in December and January have rather economic incentives, strategic actions directed against companies, often with extortion in mind.
Violence for Payment
The problem is exacerbated by large-scale recruitment of young people on digital platforms. The scope of the problem is very large, he says.
Despite the fact that we have recently arrested 50 individuals in 25 different cases, including perpetrators, bomb makers, and simultaneously got leading individuals arrested abroad, this violence does not subside.
Most of the explosions have taken place in Stockholm, which will receive reinforcement from other police regions. According to information from TV4 News, it is over 100 police officers who are being called in from other parts of the country.
Increased Number of Young People
Tobias Bergkvist, deputy regional police chief in Stockholm, says that it is far too many who want to take on assignments for the criminal networks.
What we also see is that the increase in young people, under 15, is dramatic.
The fact that recruitment is no longer taking place on the streets but digitally makes the police's work more difficult, says Bergkvist, and emphasizes that it can happen very quickly.
For us, it is very important to try to spread knowledge and understanding of this radicalization process. How can children in a short time end up in a situation where they can commit the most serious violence?
Here, the whole society must come together to counteract the development, he says.
Even for the police, a major focus will be on improving digital efforts.
We are pushing in managers, employees, analysts, to develop our work in the digital environment. We need to get better, says Hampus Nygårds.
Another immediate focus is to find and arrest more of the bomb makers, he says.
In recent weeks, we have carried out operations against bomb makers, and with the development we see, they are of course a super-prioritized criminal actor.
How many there are is unknown. Probably it is a limited group that largely works on assignment as freelancers, according to the police's assessment.
This type of problem has grown a lot in the last half year, says Hampus Nygårds.
Over 30 explosions have occurred in Sweden since the turn of the year, with the majority taking place in Stockholm.
The attacks have largely been directed against residential areas, and according to the police, many of the attacks can be linked to extortion attempts against entrepreneurs from criminal networks.
The assignments are posted in digital channels where children and young people can quickly and easily take on assignments to shoot or explode for payment.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson likened the attacks to terrorism on Tuesday.
"The criminal gangs show total indifference to the general public. This is domestic terrorism that we must combat with the collective force of society", wrote Kristersson (M) in a comment.
