Gunnar Strömmer reacts with dismay after the Christmas murder of two women.
Now he highlights several changes to the law that can target the most dangerous criminals.
– For far too long, the perpetrator’s interests have been allowed to come first, says Gunnar Strömmer.
A 55-year-old woman was murdered on Christmas Day in her home in Boden. On the night of Boxing Day, a 25-year-old woman disappeared in Rönninge and was later found dead by the police.
Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer (M) says that it is too early to draw any definite conclusions.
– But of course it arouses despair, worry and fear in many people, not least in women who wonder if they should not be able to be safe either in their home or if they move outside, says Strömmer.
He still thinks that the reactions in Sweden show great determination and he highlights several upcoming changes in the policy.
– For far too long, the perpetrator’s interests have had to come first. The penalties have been too low. Dangerous people with a high risk of recidivism have been able to be released. Police tools have been inadequate. To name a few shortcomings, he says.
Law changes next year
He mentions, among other things, that from the turn of the year, stricter rules will be introduced which mean that people who are judged to have a high risk of recidivism in serious crime cannot be released early. Later next year, so-called security storage will also be introduced, where really dangerous criminals will be able to be locked up indefinitely.
Expressen’s Fredrik Sjöshult writes in a column that the government’s strictures would not have meant that the 26-year-old who is suspected of the murder in Rönninge would be locked up at Christmas 2025, despite the fact that he was convicted in 2019 for, among other things, attempted kidnapping. Among other things, because he had not been convicted before that sentence.
Gunnar Strömmer emphasizes that he cannot comment on the current cases, but says that safe custody will be applicable when someone has relapsed into a serious crime or committed a serious crime that results in many years in prison.
– The idea is that this should hit people who are dangerous to society with a high risk of relapsing into really serious crime, but who have not been judged to have such a mental disorder that means they can be sentenced to forensic psychiatric care, says Gunnar Strömmer.
Suspect has changed name
The 26-year-old who is suspected in Rönninge was previously convicted of attempted kidnapping of a girl. Since the verdict, he has changed his name several times, now to a female name.
Do you think there is any reason to review the naming law because of this?
– Of course, we pay particular attention to whether various laws are abused by criminals in any way. But having said that, I don’t want to touch on circumstances that are being speculated about in any of the concrete cases, says Gunnar Strömmer.
