It is mainly relatives of criminals who are affected, but the general public is also exposed to a great risk of being injured. Among other things, a 25-year-old woman died as a result of an explosion in Uppsala last September. The crime happened in a residential area and the woman had nothing to do with the ongoing gang conflict.
The police have a mandate to assess whether a person is fit enough to handle explosive goods, but then the decision is made by either the Swedish Agency for Community Safety and Preparedness (MSB) or the municipality.
– It is possible to draw parallels to weapons licences, but here it is not us who give permission. Sometimes we see a connection to organized crime and then we come up with an opinion, says Malin Nygren, head of the police’s national bomb data center.
– When we find explosives, we can in many cases trace back where the goods have disappeared from, and sometimes we can also identify people who carelessly or intentionally gave criminals explosive goods in order to make money.
The status report shows that seizures of explosive goods increased in 2023. Tens of tons were seized in the criminal environment and several people who illegally handled explosives have been identified and sentenced.
The majority of the bombings in the previous year, 70 percent, were directed at private residences such as villas and apartment buildings. This is a sharp increase compared to 2019, when the figure was 40 percent. The attacks mainly took place late in the evening or at night when most people were at home or on their way in or out of the property.
– That is what is most disturbing and insane about this. We see a recklessness and indifference in everything criminals do. They don’t care if someone happens to pass by.
Photo: Alexander Mahmoud
The government has sent a proposal to the Legislative Council and wants, among other things, to establish a national permit register for the handling of explosive goods. The police authority welcomes the announcement but wants to see more.
– We want the government to review the regulations that exist today and close the gaps in the Act on Explosive Goods where we know there are major flaws, says Malin Nygren.
The metropolitan regions are the worst affected where Stockholm stands out with a doubling of the number of bombings compared to 2022, from 26 to 52. The other week it was revealed that a company involved in the Slussenbygget had leaked over 100 kilos of dynamite, among other things to gang criminals. A problem the police are well aware of.
– We have cases where judgments have been made and where it appears that people employed at companies have deliberately smuggled explosives to criminals. It is incredibly serious and there are more examples than the company in Slussen, says Malin Nygren, head of the national bomb data center at the police.
Read more:
Swedish criminals’ use of dynamite stands out
The police chief on the blast wave: “One crime risks creating more – violence begets violence”
