50-odd criminal networks active in Stockholm

Around 50 different criminal networks are currently active in Stockholm, Swedish television reported on Thursday.

Stockholm police mapped active criminal networks as part of ongoing measures aimed to stem the rise of deadly gun violence in Sweden's capital. The report concludes that the number of networks has grown only slightly since 2017, but the 2019 map reveals more acts of violence as well as more young people (under 16) and women active in criminal groups.

"Several of the networks have a high level of violence and we see that the average age of those in the networks has dropped. In addition, we see that women are more involved in organized crime than before," said Palle Nilsson, head of the Stockholm Police Intelligence Unit.

"In the past, they were more on the outskirts. Now we see more women taking a larger part and place. When their sons or husbands end up in prison or killed, they step forward and continue to run the business," Nilsson told the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter.

Over 1,500 people are involved across the reach of these 50 criminal networks, most of which the police characterise as "local" and "loose" in nature. According to the police, mobility between groups is on the rise. More people appear to be joining multiple networks or switching networks.

"The networks are volatile, but these are the figures we have been able to come up with when we looked at convictions and intelligence information on crime," Nilsson told the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.

The comprehensive map was based on a survey of criminal networks in the region. Comparing the latest information with the results of corresponding surveys in 2015 and 2017, the map is designed to help police anticipate developments in Stockholm's criminal underworld.