Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. Photo Credit: Kristian Pohl/Government Offices of Sweden
‘No Control’: Sweden Grapples With Bomb Violence Wave
By EurActiv
By Charles Szumski
(EurActiv) — Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson admitted that his government has lost control over a burgeoning wave of violence sweeping the country, amid escalating public concern.
The acknowledgment came during an emergency meeting where Kristersson announced the acceleration of new legislation targeting juvenile involvement in criminal activities.
The beginning of 2025 has seen bombings carried out at an average of one per day, leading to 27 bombings by January 27 – including several in residential communities, the Nordic Times reported.
“Sweden is in the midst of a new wave of violence; it’s primarily the bombings that are increasing, with almost one occurring every day,” Kristersson told reporters on Thursday.
“It’s abundantly clear that we do not have control over this wave of violence; otherwise, we wouldn’t be here,” he added.
In 2024, there were 317 total blasts reported by police, which has coincided with a troubling escalation in gang-related conflicts.
According to the Swedish prime minister, gang violence is now affecting entire communities, showing “total indifference” to the consequences in residential areas. The Swedish Police Authority estimated in 2024 that 1,700 under-18s were active members of criminal networks.
In response, the Swedish government will bring forward planned legislation that will grant police more powers to detain children under the age of 15 in some circumstances. Originally due in the summer of 2026, the law is now slated to come into effect as early as 1 October this year.
Nevertheless, Kristersson described these criminal issues as “inherited” over a long period, suggesting that resolving them would be a project that extends through the entire decade.
Political pressure continues to mount on the prime minster, who has made the fight against armed crime one of his talking points in the 2022 election campaign.
Given that a hard line on organised crime in Sweden is one of the hallmarks of the Sweden Democrats – the far-right party that supports Kristersson’s government – the prime minister faces a dual imperative to take decisive action: to please his ally, and prevent the party out-flanking him on the issue at the 2026 election.
Further recent measures taken to tackle Swedish gang violence a proposal to amend the country’s constitution to strip dual nationals of their citizenship if convincted of involvement in gang crime.
A government-commissioned investigation also proposed on Wednesday that people convicted of crimes in Sweden should in future be able to serve their sentences in foreign prisons, as there are no ‘absolute obstacles’ under Swedish law.
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