Sweden in shock: children shot while playing
Two children playing outside were injured in a shooting in the Stockholm suburb of Huddinge on the weekend. Nine people have been arrested in connection with the incident, one of whom is just 17 years old. Investigators suspect the shooting was an accident. Sweden's press examines how the country is faring in the fight against gang crime and harsh conditions in the suburbs.
Get tough on juvenile delinquents
Expressen calls for a government crackdown:
“Good schools and functioning social work are important prerequisites to prevent young people from being drawn into criminal gangs. But they're not enough. It must become easier to detain children. Electronic ankle bracelets and restraining orders must be used liberally. The young gangsters must quite literally be taken off the streets. ... Already at a young age, children are taking the path towards gang crime. That is a fact. And Prime Minister Stefan Löfven cannot continue to ignore it.”
The police are now on to the gangs
Sydsvenskan rejects calls for harsher punishments:
“The unimaginable has happened: two children were shot in the legs on a Saturday night. Nevertheless, things are moving in the right direction. This week many people from the so-called Vårby network were sentenced to long prison terms. The information gathered through the cracked communication tool Encrochat, and more recently through Operation Trojan Shield, exposes those who thought they had a safe haven to plot murders and conduct their arms and drug trafficking. After many years, the police finally seem to be hot on the heels of the gangs.”