The number of shooting incidents in Sweden has more than halved from a peak in 2022, reflecting new policing approaches introduced by the right-wing government, which is preparing for parliamentary elections next year, Reuters reports.
Shooting incidents have fallen to 147 so far this year, a 63 percent reduction from 2022, when there were 390 shootings, and a 49 percent drop from 2024, according to a Reuters analysis of official data.
The number of deaths, however, remained unchanged from last year at 43, although it is lower than the 62 deaths recorded in 2022.
The right-wing coalition led by Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson won the 2022 election on a promise to crack down on organized crime and drastically reduce immigration. He trails the opposition in the polls ahead of the next election in September 2026, but has closed the gap.
Gang-related crime has been high in Sweden for more than two decades, and during this time gun violence has risen from one of the lowest levels in Europe to one of the highest.
Of those killed this year, 11 were killed in a gun attack at a school in February that was not gang-related.
Where Sweden has been unsuccessful in combating criminal gangs
“New tools, resources and methods are starting to hit criminal networks,” Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told Reuters, adding that further action was still needed. “I want to remain humble. It's complicated and we still have levels of violence that no decent society can accept,” he stressed.
The legislation, which has drawn criticism from lawyers and some politicians, introduced changes such as anonymity for some witnesses in court, increased electronic surveillance, tougher penalties and so-called “safe zones”, where police can search people even if they are not suspected of a crime.
Johan Olsson, head of the National Police Operations Department, said the measures allowed police to seize gang assets and become more effective in preventing shootings.
“Where we don't see a lot of success is in stopping gang recruitment,” he told Reuters, adding that much of the recruitment takes place online.
Sweden has around 17,500 active members in criminal gangs, according to police data.
The wave of violence in Sweden spread to neighboring countries
In 2023, Sweden had the highest number of fatal firearm attacks per capita in the European Union, although in 2024 the number of firearm deaths decreased. Many of the perpetrators are under 18, some as young as 12 or 13.
“These children are basically being used as disposable resources,” Petra Lundh, the National Police Commissioner, warned earlier this year. “We have children who, instead of going to school, act as torpedoes and sometimes even in the service of foreign powers involved in global conflicts,” she added.
The increase in violent crime that Sweden is facing has also spread to neighboring countries. In August last year, Denmark called on Sweden to take stronger measures to stop cross-border gang violence and the involvement of armed Swedish teenagers, described as “child soldiers”.
Nordic leaders announced in October 2024 that they would increase cooperation between law enforcement and security forces to control the phenomenon.
“Our goal is to stop (criminal gangs – no), not to export them,” emphasized Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson as acts of violence by Swedish gangs spread not only to Denmark, but also to Norway.
“Finally, we are openly discussing issues related to organized crime and immigration,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at the time, given that most gangs are made up of immigrants or their children born in Sweden.
“When we talk about immigration, unfortunately we also talk about organized crime. The situation is getting worse, criminals are hired in Sweden to go to Denmark and commit serious crimes there, and this is unacceptable,” she said, stressing that for “too long” Nordic migration policies have been “blind” to the negative consequences of this phenomenon.
