Swedish police are considering withdrawing the newest update to their country’s list of “vulnerable areas” from the public after complaints by local politicians.
The list of particularly “vulnerable areas,” of which some are sometimes referred to as “no-go areas,” lists 23 different neighbourhoods and districts and is compiled by the Swedish police on a national level, broadcaster SVT reports.
While the list has been released and updated for a number of years, some local politicians are pushing back against it, even asking that their areas be removed from the list entirely.
One politician fighting his area’s inclusion on the list is chairman of the municipal council in Uppsala, Erik Pelling, who said he wants the area of Gottsunda removed.
Pelling said that the municipal government took firm action since appearing on the list and noted that “much has been done since then.”
“Because of the lack of transparency, it is not possible to know if we are moving away from it. And, of course, companies are thinking twice before investing in a neighbourhood with such a label,” Pelling added.
Leaked Report: Sweden Sees More Than 50 Per Cent Rise in ‘No-Go Zones’https://t.co/96h4syMUDn
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) June 13, 2017
According to newspaper Dagens Nyheter, the police are currently mulling over whether or not to release the updated list at all to the public.
Jonas Beltrame-Linné, press secretary at the police’s national operational department, told the publication it was “extremely uncertain” whether it would be published.
While the number of particularly vulnerable areas stands at 23, the number of total areas with higher than average problems with criminality and other issues stood as high as 61 in 2017.
Swedish National Police Commissioner Dan Eliasson begged the government for help in June of 2017 saying, “Should we want the social contract to hold, people will have to want to pay taxes and participate in society. It must not go any further, we must reverse the trend.”
Safety for women, in particular, has also been a major issue in areas listed as vulnerable. A report released by the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention (Brå) showed that 48 per cent of women living in such areas felt insecure being outside in the evening.
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