Sweden says new security measures will “hit the criminal gangs hard” in the new year as it fights an epidemic of violence in its cities.
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said several new policies are coming after an unusually high number of people were killed in the past two years in a spate of shootings and explosions.
Measures will include stop-and-search zones where police have special powers to look for guns even if there is no concrete suspicion of a crime.
Curfews are due to come in from February, which could be enforced with electronic tags, to stop suspected criminal gang members entering certain areas.
It is hoped that moving into hotspots, a policy modelled on police powers in Denmark, will break spirals of violence and prevent revenge killings.
The minimum sentence for serious weapons offences is being doubled this month as Sweden banks on prison as a deterrent.
School inspectors have meanwhile been assigned the task of stopping criminals getting access to public money, amid concerns gangs are using welfare fraud to raise funds.
The size of the underworld economy has been estimated at 100 to 150 billion Swedish crowns ($10 to 15 billion) and the central bank has warned it could dilute Sweden’s economic strength.
“The opposition now thinks we are going too far and doing too much. I do not share that view at all, on the contrary, there is now danger in delay,” Mr Kristersson said.
The Prime Minister, who has blamed the gang crisis on “failed integration” and high levels of immigration, also hailed a fall in new arrivals after rules for refugees were tightened.
“If immigration does not decrease, we will never manage integration,” he said.
Mr Kristersson came to power in 2022 promising the “largest offensive against organised crime in Swedish history” after making a deal with the hard-right Sweden Democrats.
Policies brought in last year included new surveillance powers, tougher prison terms and an edict to judges to show less sympathy for an offender’s personal circumstances.
Ministers also offered new subsidies for families and youth groups, such as football teams and dance troupes, to provide “alternatives to the camaraderie of a gang”.
However, a steady stream of violence has continued to blight Sweden’s cities, with a 25-year-old woman killed in a blast, a blind pensioner shot dead and a young man murdered in a stairwell in a matter of weeks last autumn.
Police figures show there were at least 348 shootings in Sweden last year, down from a record high in 2022 but still broadly similar to the level of recent years. At least 52 people were killed, almost half of them in Stockholm.
The number of explosions jumped from 90 to 149 in a year, with police recording dozens more cases of people preparing or attempting to detonate a device.
The country also struggled last year to calm community tensions after a spate of Quran-burning incidents soured its relations with the Muslim world.
"Sweden has gone through difficult crises in the past and we have weathered them," Mr Kristersson said. "I am confident that we can do it again."
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Lexus LX700h specs
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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Reading List
Practitioners of mindful eating recommend the following books to get you started:
Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life by Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr Lilian Cheung
How to Eat by Thich Nhat Hanh
The Mindful Diet by Dr Ruth Wolever
Mindful Eating by Dr Jan Bays
How to Raise a Mindful Eaterby Maryann Jacobsen
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge – Rally schedule:
Saturday: Super Special Spectator Stage – Yas Marina Circuit – start 3.30pm.
Sunday: Yas Marina Circuit Stage 1 (276.01km)
Monday: Nissan Stage 2 (287.92km)
Tuesday: Al Ain Water Stage 3 (281.38km)
Wednesday: ADNOC Stage 4 (244.49km)
Thursday: Abu Dhabi Aviation Stage 5 (218.57km) Finish: Yas Marina Circuit – 4.30pm.
Feeding the thousands for iftar
Six industrial scale vats of 500litres each are used to cook the kanji or broth
Each vat contains kanji or porridge to feed 1,000 people
The rice porridge is poured into a 500ml plastic box
350 plastic tubs are placed in one container trolley
Each aluminium container trolley weighing 300kg is unloaded by a small crane fitted on a truck
Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
