Preventing Crime & Creating Safer Communities
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Crime Prevention Information & News

Creating Safer Communities in Europe: a crime prevention sourcebook

SWEDEN

According to Interpol figures, Sweden has one of the highest recorded crime rates in Europe. Yet the International Crime Victim Surveys suggest that Sweden has a lower than average crime rate, particularly for more serious types of crime. This apparent contradiction is probably accounted for by the Swedes' willingness to report crime to the police; indeed the ICVS shows Sweden as having the highest percentage of offences reported to the police of any European country. And this must be partly due to their high satisfaction with their police (again confirmed in the ICVS).

Sweden was one of the first European countries to establish formal structures for crime prevention and has a long-standing reputation for research and evaluation. In 1972, the Swedish Parliament established a central council to co-ordinate, plan and prioritise initiatives in crime prevention.

The National Council for Crime Prevention (Brottsförebyggande  rådet) places much emphasis on the practical implementation and evaluation of crime prevention initiatives at local level, whilst drawing on years of accumulated data on crime and crime prevention strategies. This should lead to reforms in criminal policy, evaluation and implementation, drawing on measures tried and tested both inside and outside Sweden. Additionally the Council acts as a Information Centre on good practice. It supplies politicians, decision-makers, the media and the general public with information and data on crime prevention and helps to co-ordinate the work of national agencies in crime prevention and develop local crime prevention in conjunction with local authorities.  It also provides crime prevention training.

Local Crime Prevention Work

In 1991 the Government commissioned the National Crime Prevention Council, working in conjunction with the National Police Board and local authorities, to set up local crime prevention plans in five areas in Sweden. These local crime prevention panels included representatives of the police, schools, social services, local authority recreation committees, the Employment Service, health services and a number of voluntary and community organisations. Representatives from trade unions, business, insurance companies and local retailers could also be involved if required. The panels are not uniform, but are geared to local realities. The National Crime Prevention Council supports them by assisting them in developing models for local crime prevention, follow-up initiatives and the evaluation of crime prevention measures.

The Principles of Crime Prevention  

1. All crime prevention measures have to be evaluated because it was felt that previous crime prevention measures and drug rehabilitation initiatives had suffered due to a lack of evaluation and the resulting lack of information on effective schemes;
2. Crime prevention should involve everybody - the influence of parents and schools can be of prime importance , whilst that of the judiciary may be marginal.  With the pooling of resources there is greater emphasis on mobilisation and social solidarity;
3. There is no one definition of crime prevention, as the effects of crime are both direct and indirect.  All initiatives should be aimed at reducing crime and the fear of crime;
4. Some activities in the private and public sector are not aimed at reducing crime, but do have a bearing on it.  Everything from child education to the labour market, play an important part in curtailing crime;
5. Economic development and urbanisation increases the opportunities for crime and reduces social control.  Research which focuses on how these phenomena affect the crime rate may help to direct the framing of crime prevention measures;
6. Crime prevention initiatives should be based on a knowledge of the character of crime in terms of place, time and situation, together with a profile of victims and offenders;
7. Crime is frequently local in character and so crime prevention initiatives should be organised and funded at a local level. The role of the National Crime prevention council is to co-ordinate initiatives, provide technical support and act as a vocal advocate for crime prevention.

In summary, all crime prevention measures should be decentralised, co-ordinated, multi-agency, multi-disciplinary and involve the active participation of the public.

The Local Crime Prevention Model

The model that the National Crime Prevention Council uses has four stages:

1. mapping of crime and existing crime prevention activities and resources;
2. the planning of initiatives on a multi-agency basis using the mapping results;
3. implementation;
4. evaluation based on having clear achievement criteria in the action plan that can be measured.  This could be the reduction of violence in a certain area, a reduction of vandalism, shoplifting, car theft and so on.

The Stockholm Project

The Stockholm Project started in 1989 and is carried out jointly by the National Council for Crime Prevention, the Department of Criminology at the University of Stockholm, the National Police Board, the Stockholm police and Stockholm City Council.

The objective of the Project is to use the research findings in the context of existing and potential resources to formulate policy recommendations for Stockholm.

Implementation is the responsibility of working groups organised on two levels:

1. a general action group concentrating on issues such as town planning;
2. local action groups focusing on specific issues such as crime in the city centre and public transport, problem suburbs, and so on.

The general action group co-ordinates the measures suggested by the local action group. Action research has been divided into a number of themes:

Delinquency and the Urban Structure. This project aims to enhance knowledge of the way in which variations in social life and social control between different parts of the city influence variations in the level and structure of delinquency.  Particular emphasis is given to inter-district variations in residential segregation, population composition, the housing structure and activities such as leisure, work and domestic life.  This project provides a framework for detailed studies of the various sub projects.

Delinquency in the City Centre, Local Centres and Public Transport. This project deals with the problem of delinquency in public places, particularly violence and criminal damage.  It tries to identify problem areas and how they related to legitimate activity in the area, for example, public transport.

Neighbourhood, Socialisation and Propensity to Crime. A study of the correlation between family structure, type of housing and juvenile delinquency in residential districts.  Its objective is to provide data on the interaction between family structure, residential environment and juvenile delinquency.

Schools, Housing and Juvenile Delinquency. This project, by utilising statistical correlations, aims to elucidate the relationship between juvenile delinquency and the residential and school environments.

Delinquency in residential Districts with a High Proportion of Immigrants. This project attempts to identity any special problems which may be associated with crime prevention programmes among migrant juveniles.

Social Instability, Residential Districts and Juvenile Crime. In this study, social instability is defined as failure by the local residents and social institutions to maintain a satisfactory degree of social control due to a lack of common values and goals and inadequate social resources to cope with local problems such as a high level of juvenile delinquency.  It aims to evaluate the significance of social stability in encouraging or discouraging juvenile delinquency in residential districts.

Delinquency and the Physical Design of Residential Districts. This looks at the physical design of residential districts including landscaping and the designing of the buildings themselves from a social control perspective.

Women, Crime and the City Environment. This study maps the relationship between schools, housing conditions and female delinquency in the city.  This project assumes that the correlation between the three may be different for women.

Crime Structure and the Working Methods of the Police in Different Types of Urban Environment. This project has two main strands.  The first considers whether the police adapt their resources to the nature and number of crimes committed in various parts of the city.  The second develops models for police analysis and planning in city crime.
 
THE OUTER CITY REVITALISATION

Stockholm is investing in the refurbishment  and renewal of its outer-city areas.  Stockholm City Council has allocated an amount of 500 million Swedish Kroner for this purpose, and commissioned the Streets and Real Estate Committee to act as  the responsible authority.  The Project, known as the "Outer-City Revitalisation", is being carried out under the auspices of the Streets and Real Estate Administration. The goal is to increase integration and the project is expected to continue for a number of years.

Over a period of years, most of the "million homes programme" areas, and other low-status residential areas have been subjected to renewal measures for the purpose of increasing integration. A review of the measures implemented to date shows that these measures have resulted in only a few sustainable improvements. The trend is that segregation is increasing rather than decreasing.  This can, of course, be due to a number of factors. However, it appears that the basic fault lies in the fact that the measures that have been implemented were influenced more by the values of others than those of the residents themselves.

Those  involved in the Outer-City Revitalisation assume that the people living in a residential area are best able to judge what constitutes meaningful, long-term improvements in that particular area.  They also believe that the personal involvement of many people is decisive in determining the favourable development of an area - if enough people in the area feel a sense of responsibility for its positive development, the trend will turn.  This entails crossing the threshold when positive powers take over.  It is against this background that the project workers have proceeded in the following way.

Efforts are being concentrated on five residential outer-city areas, i.e., Akalla, Husby, Tensta, Rågsved and Fagersjö. All the residents of each area were invited to a public meeting to inform them of the Outer-City Revitalisation.  Each of these meetings was attended by between 150 to 250 people. Residents were asked if they would be interested in joining a co-ordinating group for the refurbishment and renewal of their particular area.  Between 40 to 90 people registered their interest in joining the co-ordinating groups. The outer-City Revitalisation has a local project manager in each area, who is seconded to their co-ordinating group.

The co-ordinating groups

The co-ordinating groups decide how they want to work.  They have divided themselves into seven to ten working teams with five to fifteen members in each team.  The  same person can be a member of a number of working teams.  The co-ordinating groups determine their own working and decision-making routines.  The working teams concentrate on issues relating to children and young people, culture, centres and services, the labour market, the local environment etc.

In most cases, a co-ordinating group will meet every fourth week, and the working teams every other week.  A project manager's role is to pass on the group's questions and decisions to the municipal administration, and to supply the groups with factual information.

These methods of working are in keeping with a greater development pattern.  Many people, today, worry about the fact that so few people are involved in the development of society.  The State inquiry into the influence and participation of citizens in the development of society indicated that citizens do want to become more involved.  Neighbourhood councils represent one step in this direction.  Co-ordinating groups go one step further.  They are active at local level and involve more people.

In order to involve people with staying power in the co-ordinating groups, it is necessary that their work is seen to have an effect on society.  It does not suffice for the groups to be advisory bodies only. Should a proposal require a committee resolution, it is recommended that the committee follows the co-ordinating group's proposals.  In this way, more people are able to influence their everyday lives.

The role of the project managers

The most important task those, who are working with the Project, have is to support the co-ordinating groups, and working teams so that as many people as possible are involved in working for the positive development of their own areas.  The project managers put a great deal of energy into creating favourable working conditions for the groups and teams.  In essence, this entails a multitude of tasks such as being accessible, providing information, assisting in finding suitable premises for meetings, drafting documents, obtaining factual information etc.  But it also entails having a keen interest in development.  The professional team ensures that no group ends up outside the Project, and that many people, who have never participated in this type of revitalisation, are brought in to the Project.

Unemployment

The most serious problem in the residential areas, included in the outer-City Revitalisation, is the high rate of unemployment.  The Streets and Real Estate Committee has, therefore, decided that measures, which are financed by funds from the outer-City Revitalisation, will, in the first instance, be implemented by unemployed residents of the areas concerned.

Contacts:

Brottsförebyggande rådet (National Council for Crime Prevention),
Atlasmuren 1, S-113 21 Stockholm, Sweden.

Tel: 0046 8 769 8400      Fax: 0046 8 328 364.
 

Jan Eric Jansson, General Manager, Outer City Revitalisation Project,
Streets and Real Estate Administration,
Box 8311 S-104 20 Stockholm, Sweden.

Tel: 0046 8 785 6000     Fax: 0046 8 785 6188.