Sweden PM Kristersson summons army, police chiefs after surge in gang killings

Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has called for a meeting with the head of the armed forces and the police to curb a surge in gang killings.

"We will hunt the gangs down and we will defeat them," Kristersson promised during a televised address on Thursday evening. The meeting is to be held on Friday.

The statement comes after bloody 12 hours that saw two men being shot dead in Stockholmand a 25-year-old woman losing her life in a home blast in a village north of the capital.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

So far this month, 12 people have been killed in gang violence - the highest number since December 2019, stated Dagens Nyheter newspaper.

Micael Byden, the head of the armed forces, told the Swedish newspaper that he was ready to support police efforts.

It is unclear exactly how the military would get involved, but prior discussions suggest soldiers may take over some enforcement duties to free up officers' time to focus on combatting crime.

According to some critics, the proposed measures are superficial and only address the symptoms of violence rather than its underlying causes.

The recent surge in gang wars has been attributed to a conflictinvolving the Foxtrot network gang, which split into two rival factions after infighting.

The PM said Sweden had not seen anything like it before and that "no other country in Europe" was experiencing this kind of situation. He stressed that children and innocent bystanders were increasingly being caught up in violence across the country.

More than 60 people died in shootings in Sweden last year - the highest on record - and this year is set to be the same or worse.

A report published by the governmentin 2021 stated that four in every million inhabitants were dying in shootings each year in Sweden —compared with 1.6 people per million across Europe.

The prime minister said on Thursday he would push ahead with more surveillance, harsher penalties for breaking gun laws, stronger deportation powers and stop and search zones - adding he had been learning from the mayor of New York after a visit to the city last week.

"Everything is on the table,"Kristersson said.

But one community organiser told the BBC he was "deeply disappointed" in the plans, saying they failed to address underlying social issues.

Sakariya Hirsi, head of Kollektiv Sorg, a group linked to Amnesty International, called for more action on child poverty and increased resources for youth clubs, community services and sports centres.

He said there was a lack of "concrete measures" in Mr Kristersson's speech "for those suffering from trauma and loss - especially children - whose grief and pain we as a society must bear and address".