The pile of criminal cases in Sweden is growing higher, and increasingly more cases remain unsolved by the police.
The number of ongoing and pending investigations have increased significantly over last year, reports
Aftonbladet.
At the end of last year, there were 157,050 open cases. That is an increase of 11.4 percent compared with the end of 2015, according to the police's annual report.
It is also the highest level at the end of a year that police have had during the period of 2011-2016.
The increase is general for all types of crime, but the development is considered particularly problematic when it comes to violent crimes, drug crimes, traffic offenses and shoplifting.
Violent crime is a high priority category of crime for the police, but the investigation results since 2011 have deteriorated sharply, although the number of cases received has not increased, writes police.
Many shootings
Regarding the number of open cases for crimes such as attempted or completed homicide, the number of open cases has increased by 67.7 percent since 2011. The increase is significantly greater in the three metropolitan regions than in other police regions. The most likely cause is considered to be the increasing amount of violent crime with firearms in connection with criminal conflicts in these counties.
In addition to that the number of hard to solve crimes grows, there are other causes that matter to make the pile grow when it comes to violent crime. For example that prosecutors require higher quality of preliminary investigations.
As police reported a month ago, the number of investigated cases that were handed over to the prosecutor and were rejected, increased by ten percent between 2015 and 2016.
Big challenge
"Here we have a big challenge ahead of us. The victims of crimes have the right to demand more from the police," the deputy national police chief Mats Löfving said in a press release.
Police point to the need to continue efforts to get more employees who can investigate crime, develop IT support and complete work on methods development. National police chief Dan Eliasson also notes that the police eventually need increased funding. Police submit its budget to the government next week.
The decrease in the number of investigations handed over to prosecutors has been going on for several years, but Eliasson has promised that the government will turn the trend in 2017, writes Aftonposten.
The truth is that it has been said for years, but the problems continue to grow. More police officers quit their job than ever, and who can blame them? Who wants to get stoned or pelted with bottles on the job? Who wants to get attacked by gangs or rioting thugs, when they can get another job with more pay and in a safer environment? There is the biggest challenge for the police: Such a dangerous profession that being a Swedish cop has become, needs top pay or officers quit, as they actually do now. It really is a no-brainer.
