Criticized law introduced today – this applies now

Criticized law introduced today – this applies now

From today, a new law applies to the Swedish people.

Already in December 2022, a new potential law began to be investigated and a year later the government came forward with a concrete proposal.

And now the day has come – as of Thursday, the police can now introduce so-called visitation zones in Sweden.

This means that the police can stop and search people without there being any concrete suspicion of crime.

– The government’s plan to push back serious organized crime is firm: we must strike hard against serious violence, strangle the criminal economy and break the recruitment of children and young people, said Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M) when the proposal was presented.

Compare with Denmark

According to the government, the new law is “decisive” and will mean an effective tool for the police.

– Visitation zones have been a useful tool in Denmark to cool down conflicts, for example to break spirals of violence and prevent acts of revenge. It is also something that has been requested by the Swedish Police Agency for many years, said Gunnar Strömmer at the same press conference.

Heavy criticism: “Unacceptable”

But the new law has also been criticized. Among other things, the Discrimination Officer (DO) Lars Arrhenius has voiced strong opposition.

– Our opinion is that this proposal should not be implemented. It is unacceptable risks of discrimination, that the police select people without it being objectively justified, he told DN in February.

Amnesty, Civil Rights Defenders, local police and the Social Democrats have also opposed the bill, which was postponed after the Legislative Council criticized the rapid handling.

This concerns

Concretely, the change means that from today the police can establish so-called security zones in Sweden. If the situation requires, the authority can delimit an area and carry out both body searches and house searches in vehicles.

This even without suspicion of crime.

The zones may be established for a maximum of two weeks where there is a conflict between criminals with a high risk of shootings or explosions. No police region has so far claimed to introduce a safety zone.

It is also emphasized that anyone should not be searched unless it is done for objective reasons.

– I usually talk about an overall assessment. It can be about intelligence, how one behaves and who one hangs out with at the scene, says Kristian Malzoff, Commissioner at the National Operative Department, Noa, to P4 Stockholm.

Photo: T. Williams

Text: The editors