NCJ Number
82054
Journal
Public Affairs Report Volume: 22 Issue: 3 Dated: (June 1981) Pages: complete issue
Date Published
1981
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This paper describes Swedish crime prevention measures in the areas of property crime, maintenance of public order, highway safety, and juvenile delinquency and then discusses their relevance to U.S. police practices and criminal policy.
Abstract
Following recommendations of a 1973 crime commission, Sweden's police have instituted programs of prevent residential burglary through target hardening and identification techniques, locate stolen property through a national computer system, and reduce check forgery. Block police officers have also been assigned to neighborhood offices in storefronts or apartment complexes. Other innovations include a 1973 law allowing police to detain any person who disturbs the public order for up to 6 hours and a television monitoring system used by the subway police. Sweden has very stringent drunken driving laws, and random roadside breath tests are conducted to determine compliance. The police are heavily committed to criminal justice education programs in the schools. A comparison of Swedish and U.S. police practices notes that Swedish law gives a higher priority to community security and a lower priority to individual rights that U.S. all which can be attributed to popular opposition to violence in all forms. Swedish police, however, are subject to greater restraints on their use of firearms and devote far more training time to nonviolent crisis intervention techniques and forensic medicine than weapons. Despite a reputation within Scandinavia for toughness, Swedish police have retained their role and public image as helpers through prevention and education activities. The nationalized structure of the police enhances information exchange and training, as well as cooperation between the public prosecutor and the police. In contrast with the United States, Swedish criminal policy provides a broader definition of violence and more equalitarian targeting of potential offenders and views the criminal justice system as the last line of defense in resolving social problems. Swedish practices which offer alternative approaches to crime control in the United States are discussed. The article contains 33 footnotes.