Sweden has been shocked by a recent scandal after a daily newspaper published an investigation revealing that several police officers had leaked information to members of criminal gangs with whom they had links.
The Scandinavian country is the scene of a criminal gang war that reached an unprecedented level in late 2023 with a record number of armed clashes amid the struggle to control drug trafficking. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson also expressed concern on Monday after a journalistic investigation by the daily Dagens Nyheter (DN) revealed that several police employees with sensitive gang-related information had passed it on to the criminals themselves.
In some cases, these officers and police employees allegedly had a relationship with the gang members. According to DN, in four cases, these leaks provoked retaliation that escalated to homicides.
At least 30 police employees have had to leave their posts as they were considered a “security risk”, according to the daily. Several criminals strategically began “sexual relationships with pre-selected police officers,” writes DN.
This is “very worrying information,” Ulf Kristersson reacted in an interview with the TT news agency, stressing the significant risk of a loss of the public’s confidence in the Swedish police force.
“It is very serious, and we will have to remedy this,” the prime minister added.
“The idea that mafia methods are being used to infiltrate the police cannot be entertained,” Kristersson insisted.
In mid-April, Sweden was rocked after a father was shot dead in broad daylight in the presence of his son in a Stockholm suburb. Several media outlets said he was killed because he resisted a criminal gang, which recruits young people who are below the age of criminal responsibility to carry out their criminal acts. Some of the perpetrators are as young as 12.