Malmö in southern Sweden and Copenhagen in Denmark have faced escalating gang violence in recent years, which has intensified over the summer to the point where police from both countries are now operating across borders.
ADVERTISEMENTWhen you walk around Malmö all appears to be very idyllic. But under the surface, there’s a less romantic truth.
The Swedish city and Copenhagen on the other side of the Öresund strait, that separates Denmark and Sweden, have been hit hard by gang violence over the summer. Danish police report that three people have been killed and at least 25 attacks or attempted attacks have taken place.
A particularly concerning issue, according to Malmö police officer Glenn Sjögren, is the age of those committing these crimes.
“They are renting killers here in Sweden to do the killings in Denmark. And they are always young kids,” he told Euronews before explaining why they are so young.
”It’s cheaper. And if they get caught they don’t get a long sentence”.
Last year, Swedish police observed a rise in the recruitment of teenagers under 18 for carrying out hits, as they face less scrutiny from law enforcement and are often shielded from prosecution compared to adults.
Criminals often recruit members in socially disadvantaged immigrant neighbourhoods.
Official figures show that since April, there have been 25 instances in which young Swedes were hired by Danes to commit crimes in Denmark.
The attacks involved using guns, bombs and even hand grenades.
And according to Karolina Sköld, who runs a youth programme in Malmö, the kids are targeted online.
“Grooming on social media is a relatively big factor to why kids are coming into these environments,” she says.
Cross-border crime between Denmark and Sweden has led to Danish police working in Sweden and vice versa.
Sweden has grappled with gang violence for years, while in Denmark, police have also seen gang-related violence but on a lesser scale.