Crime in Sweden - real and fiction..

Swedish crime is on everyone's lips and it makes one wonder: is Sweden really as violent and crime infested as the books depict? 

  • “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, by Stieg Larsson, was a wake-up call for many that crime does exist in Sweden, a country that for decades has been viewed as a rather peaceful place to be.
  • You have probably read “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo”, and perhaps you wondered as you read it: What are the statistics of crime in Sweden?
    If you haven't read the books, are unfamiliar with the wave of popularity of Swedish crime, see Hungry for Swedish Crime and, to get an idea of how strong the impact of some of the new characters is, see our video Lisbeth Salander: Trendsetter? on the unlikely Larsson heroine and her effect on the world. (You'll also find interviews with Camilla Läckberg and other crime writers among our videos)

  • Brottsförebyggande rådet or Brå (The Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention) recently revealed fresh statistics of crime in Sweden.
    Of all Swedish municipalities, Vindeln in Västerbotten is the most peaceful, as they have the lowest crime rate in the country (229 crimes in total were committed in Vindeln last year).
    Most crimes were, not surprisingly perhaps, committed in Stockholm. And in the Stockholm neighborhood Norrmalm, is also where you run the greatest risk of assault. In Ydre, Östergötland, the risk of being assaulted is the least in the country. Back to Vindeln, they have kept a low profile in crime statistics for years. Says Anders Isaksson at the police in Vindeln: “I know we’ve been good statistically, but why that is, we still don’t know. One reason could be that we have a great relationship with our youths. We try to catch them before they commit serious crimes.” Statistics from last year show that the risk of being the victim of a crime varies greatly between different municipalities and city neighborhoods. Most burglaries were committed in Oxie, in Malmö, followed by Rinkeby in Stockholm. The least burglaries were committed in Pajala. The least number of car crimes per inhabitants were in the neighborhood of Styrsö in Göteborg, followed by Ydre and Mörbylånga (on Öland), whereas the most car crimes were committed in Göteborg center. Norrmalm in Stockholm has the highest number of assault cases, followed by Göteborg center. Habo municipality in Västergötland, on the other hand, had the least number of assaults. Here’s the list of the most crime-infested areas in Sweden (the number of crimes reported per 100,000 inhabitants):
    1. Stockholm
    2. Sigtuna (north of Stockholm, where Arlanda Airport is located, which might explain things)
    3. Malmö
    4. Solna
    5. Helsingborg
    6. Södertälje
    7. Upplands Väsby
    8.Västerås
    9. Eskilstuna
    10. Göteborg.