Resistance and action – Sweden’s national strategy against organised crime

Organised crime poses a serious threat to the Swedish society. The deadly violence and the criminal financial structures used by organised crime actors, and parallel social structures at local level, affect the safety and security of Swedish citizens. Also, the impact of organised crime damages citizens’ trust in public institutions. The national strategy against organised crime that the Swedish Government adopted on 1 February 2024 calls for resistance and action, and it highlights what is necessary in the fight against organised crime. 

Sweden’s national strategy against organised crime targets five key areas: 

• Criminal careers must be stopped. 
• Criminals’ access to illegal firearms and explosives must decrease.
• The criminal economy must be reduced. 
• Society must be robust enough to resist the threat of criminal influence. 
• The system related to identities and identification must be reliable, and government agencies’ possibilities to exchange information must be improved. 

“With this strategy, we are bringing together a broad range of actors at national, regional and local levels, as well as the private sector and civil society, to combat crime. We need to be proactive, and it is essential that all parts of society contribute - this is not a task for law enforcement only. The national strategy will further amplify the impact of the Government’s decisions and legislative reforms,” says Minister for Justice Gunnar Strömmer.