Gangs recruit three new individuals every day

15 years old shoots with automatic weapons, 15 years old shoots. It’s a crazy development, says the Swedish criminologist.

Police found 21 shell casings at the scene. It was a warm Saturday afternoon in the Stockholm suburb of Varsta. Suddenly, gunfire was fired outside the subway. According to the police, an automatic military weapon was used.

Four people were injured. A 15-year-old died at the scene. Another 15-year-old boy was wounded. A woman in her sixties He was shot in the knee When she was going to unlock the bike. A 45-year-old man who was shot later died of his injuries.

Police won’t say anything about what they think was the background to the mass shooting, or who or what the shots were intended for.

Seven people were shot dead in various incidents in Stockholm over the weekend. Police Chief Max Okerwall said on Sunday there was a risk of reprisals. He writes Express.

“crazy” twist

If this was part of a gang settlement, this isn’t the first time passers-by have become victims. But it doesn’t happen often, and it’s rare that many people are involved. So says criminologist Mann Gerell at Malmö University. He is a researcher of Swedish gang crime.

– There is one change, which is that young people are most often targeted. We have 15-year-olds shooting and 15-year-olds shooting with automatic weapons. It’s crazy, Girel tells Aftenposten.

In recent years, the police have sounded the alarm that victims and perpetrators alike are getting younger and younger. Jerrell says some end up in gang crime because they are recruited and used by older criminals because they risk a lesser sentence. Many of them described them as “child soldiers”.

Jirrell believes there could be more to it after the Swedish government scrapped the penalty discount for 18-21-year-olds in January.

– Now there will be a big difference between what a 17-year-old is punished for and an 18-year-old, says Jerrell.

But Jerrell also says that there are young people who are tempted by the criminal life.

They want to be cool and make money. You get that when you shoot,” Jerrell says.

Consider lowering the minimum criminal age

The Swedish government is now considering whether the minimum criminal age should be lowered. in May Justice Minister Gunnar Stromer stated That it can be reduced to between 12 and 15 years.

Police have not said anything about whether the 15-year-olds shot dead over the weekend were gang-related. Teacher today’s news He says he didn’t think this could happen to his former student.

“But this damned society they live in, and the role models they follow, they are rubbish role models,” the unnamed teacher tells the newspaper.

There has been a wave of violence in Stockholm since Christmas. Police from all over Sweden were sent to the capital to try and put an end to it. The cops themselves think they are getting a lot of success, even if the violence only continues.

Two men in their 20s were arrested, on suspicion of murder and attempted murder, just an hour after the Faresta shooting. They were known to the police.

– he succeeded extraordinarily

About 300 people have been arrested from gang circles since Christmas. A record number of weapons and ammunition were also seized. Svenska Dagbladet He writes that one reason more people are arrested is because offenders get younger and ride more wrongdoings. Police Chief Max Okerwall told the newspaper that the wave of violence had forced police to develop new methods and better prioritize.

– As far as I can see, the police have succeeded in taking more weapons, arresting more people, and preventing more violent incidents. They are extraordinarily successful in this matter. Still, Jirrell says, there will be more violence.

He notes that criminals are hiding out in Turkey, among other places, fueling conflict at home, and that young men are increasingly being used in gang settlements.

It is not enough for the police to do anything. You should take those who are sitting on the highest place, and those who are farthest in the chain, says Jerrell.

Chief of Police: – Three new soldiers a day

National Police Chief Anders Thornberg has the following explanation for why they can’t prevent shootings like the one that took place over the weekend.

– As long as three new recruits are recruited every day, a thousand a year, the Swedish police alone cannot prevent this kind of accident from happening. Young offenders must be stopped, but there are so many of them that we can’t be everywhere and everywhere, says Thornberg today’s news.

As long as new young men are recruited into the gangs, he says, this will continue for ten years, “if we don’t do anything else”.

– Young people must either choose another path or take care of them when they are on their way to this one, Thornberg tells the newspaper.