Police Action Against 8-Year-Olds Attracts Attention
The police in Sweden have taken an unconventional approach in their fight against organized crime. In an effort to prevent young children from joining gangs, the police have implemented a new method called “spot marking.”
Based on a model from Germany, the police now begin to survey children as young as 8 years old. These children are then graded using a system of “social points,” where points increase if the child is involved in activities such as shoplifting or vandalism. Families whose children accumulate the most points will be contacted by social services and offered assistance.
Jan Hofvenstam, the head of the Östergötland police area, explains that this method has been directly adopted from Germany, where the police collaborate closely with social services and select a few individuals for monitoring starting at the age of 8.
The testing of this new method will take place in several cities including Södertälje, Linköping, and Gothenburg.
Critics of the police’s new method include the organization Save the Children. Erik Ulnes, a sociologist and political advisor at Save the Children, raises concerns that many children may feel labeled as criminals based on their origin and place of residence due to this screening and control method. Ulnes argues that this could lead to decreased trust in both social services and the police.
Meanwhile, the opposition party, the Social Democrats, has proposed that targeted efforts should be focused on children as young as 5 years old. The party believes that this preventative measure will keep children and young people away from a life of crime.
Ardalan Shekarabi, vice chairman of the justice committee and member of the Social Democrats, emphasizes the importance of addressing the issue with comprehensive policies, including more police officers and stricter punishments, along with early prevention efforts.
“We will never accept that children and young people end up in the gangs’ deadly violence,” Shekarabi stated when the proposal was presented. “This is a societal problem that we must face with full force, and we must do so with diverse and active policies.”
The use of “spot marking” by the police has stirred up debates and discussions about the best methods to combat organized crime while also protecting the rights and well-being of children.
Image: Linköping police (Stock photo)
Written by: The Editors