Sweden saw a large rise in the number of explosions and bombings last year, with the Crime Prevention Council (BRÅ) estimating at least 236 incidents in the first 11 months of 2019.
The BRÅ figures are a stark rise from the previous year, where 162 incidents were recorded for all 12 months of 2018, broadcaster SVT reports.
According to Stefan Hector of the Swedish police authority National Operations Department (NOA), the nature of the bombings and explosions has changed over the last year.
Sweden PM Claims No Link Between Rising Gang Crime and Mass Migration https://t.co/ovC52Hoxa3
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) November 19, 2019
“Before, we were seeing hand grenades being used. Now, we see homemade charges, instead, like weapons used in conflict. These are used either to hurt or intimidate, but now there is a new recklessness as the bombings occur in places where members of the public are put at risk. The bombers are indifferent to the fact that people could be hurt,” he said.
“The phenomenon of explosives as weapons in conflicts is relatively new. This means that we have considerable uncertainty as to where the parts for the explosive charges come from,” Hector added.
Several cities have been hotspots for explosions, including the multicultural southern city of Malmo where in June the city saw three explosions in the span of just 24 hours.
The total number of shootings across the country have also increased in 2019, from 306 in 2018 to 316, although the total number of fatal shootings has gone down from 45 to 38. 2018 was a record year for fatal shootings in Sweden.
Swedish Party Leader: Gun Violence ‘Extreme for a Country Not at War’ https://t.co/cNLwVryKtV
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) July 3, 2019
Many of the shootings and explosions have been linked to rising gang violence. While the Swedish government under Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has made promises to get the situation under control, few Swedes are confident in his ability to tackle the problem.
A poll released in December revealed that just eight per cent of the Swedish public thought the Social Democrat-led government would be able to solve rising gang violence within the next six months.
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