‘It requires an entirely different approach to criminal gangs’

Sweden is heading for another year of widespread shootings driven by gang criminality. What is required to turn this trend around?

– It is not a case of implementing one or two things; instead, it fundamentally requires an entirely different approach to criminal gangs. Starting with a blank piece of paper and implementing things that would make it really, really hard being a criminal gang member. We Moderates have been inspired by Denmark, which has successfully reduced criminality by, for instance, making it a criminal offence to be a gang member, using anonymous witnesses and introducing much tougher sentences. These are policies we want to introduce in Sweden.

Is it possible to strengthen the preventative work so that young people do not go off the rails at an early age?

– Of course, but, at the same time, too much faith has been placed in time-limited projects that may look promising but rarely ever result in tangible changes. Rather, the best crime prevention work is ensuring that a society has a functioning constitution, a school that focuses on knowledge, improved Swedish language skills and a labour market that makes it possible for all children to see their mum and dad go to work. We also need to increase parental responsibility in Sweden, a somewhat forgotten issue in a country where criminality is often seen as the responsibility of society.

Law and order has long been the number-one issue for voters. Will safety be an election issue next year?

– I am convinced it will be. The issue of law and order is so fundamental that most other things take a back seat. To be honest, nothing else matters in our lives if we do not feel safe going about our daily business.

Johan Forssell was interviewed by Mattias Keresztesi, Senior Consultant and Associate Partner at New Republic. ‘Three Quick Questions…’ is a series of interviews conducted by New Republic.