Former Swedish Prime Minister Suggests Using Military To Quell Rising Gang Violence

Former Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson suggests using the military to help quell the rising gang violence situation in the country.

The remarks come as three people have died in the past 24 hours in shootings and bombings, as reported by local outlets. Andersson, who is from the opposition center-left Social Democrats, gave her suggestion on Thursday.

Military Forces To Quell Gang Violence

She said that surveillance performed by police officers could be carried out by military personnel. The former prime minister added that there is technical know-how with the military that they could use to help with the situation.

On Thursday, two men were shot at different locations close to Stockholm, and police were able to arrest two suspects after a 25-year-old woman lost her life during a powerful explosion in a residential area close to Uppsala. Local media outlets said that authorities believe that the blast was related to the conflict between gangs and that the woman was not the intended target, as per Politico.

Sweden, in its fight against rising gang violence, could also ask Norway, Denmark, or Finland for additional police support, the former prime minister suggested. The country's Justice Minister, Gunnar Strommer, who is from the center-right Moderate Party, finds Andersson's idea of deploying the military an "interesting thought."

She added that the country is currently in a situation where there is room for interaction between different authorities, even those that have not worked together. Additionally, Defense Minister Pal Jonson, who is also from the Moderates, noted that using the military was not currently on the agenda, adding that there are no such plans on standby.

If lawmakers do entertain the thought of using the military to help quell rising gang violence in the region, it would be a highly unusual step for Sweden. It would underscore the severity of the situation that has already claimed dozens of lives this month alone, including teenagers and innocent bystanders.

In a statement, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that he was planning to meet with the armed forces supreme commander and the national police commissioner on Friday to explore how the former can assist the latter in efforts to address criminal gangs, according to the Associated Press.

Sweden's Domestic Security Threat

Despite the talks, it was not immediately clear what capacity the military forces would be involved in the efforts. However, previous proposals focused on soldiers taking over protection duties from police to free up more resources for crime-fighting.

During a televised speech to the nation, Krsitersson said that the country has never seen such a situation. He added that no European country has seen something as bad as what Sweden is experiencing.

Police chiefs have argued that the nation is facing its most serious domestic security situation since the end of the Second World War. It is brought by immigrant drug gangs that engage in a bloody conflict with one another.

Law enforcement officials believe that the gangs are increasingly using children to commit crimes as people under 18 often go unpunished or receive low sentences from the country's courts, said the Financial Times.