Police presence and accessibility after the 2015 Police Reform
What's at stake: The decision affects how quickly and how physically close people across the country, not least in rural areas, can reach the police and get help in an urgent situation. It concerns the balance between the Police Authority's independence to organise its own operations and the Riksdag's ability to steer towards a more guaranteed local police presence.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether the Police Authority should continue to decide for itself where police stations should be located and how police presence and accessibility are organised, or whether the Riksdag should force a halt to further closures, an inquiry into the need for police stations, and a regulated police response time.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee shares the National Audit Office's assessment that it is important to monitor the effects of how the Police Authority implements the government's priorities and governance, and notes that the government has already begun such work with a greater focus on effects. The committee backs the view that the Police Authority itself is best placed to decide where police stations should be located and how service and accessibility can best be provided, and likewise that the police should independently assess when, where and how police interventions are carried out. The committee is therefore not prepared to propose any action in response to the motions and rejects them.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 1 (S)
The reservation (S) shares the National Audit Office's criticism but wants an emergency halt on further police station closures, pending an inquiry that maps the need for police stations and local contact points, clarifies the Police Authority's regional responsibility and analyses the consequences of closures already carried out and planned. The reservation also wants a regulated police response time to be examined, similar to what already applies to the emergency services, to ensure a long-term, continuously present police force across the country.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
V–
S–
MP–
C–
L–
KD–
M–
SD–
YesNoAbstainAbsent
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 1 by S.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
The plan's stance / Actual vote
AI
Vote
Confidence
Evidence
V
–
Yes 21/0/0/0
Sown reservation
–
No 0/106/0/0
MP
–
Abstain 0/0/18/0
C
–
Abstain 0/0/24/0
L
–
Yes 16/0/0/0
KD
–
Yes 19/0/0/0
M
–
Yes 65/0/0/1
SD
–
Yes 70/0/0/0
Committee proposal
The Riksdag rejects the motions
2025/26:21 by Josef Fransson (SD) point 1,
2025/26:921 by Marie Olsson (S),
2025/26:979 by Helena Lindahl (C),
2025/26:1205 by Viktor Wärnick and Oskar Svärd (both M),
2025/26:1223 by Eva Lindh et al. (S),
2025/26:1349 by Runar Filper (SD) point 1,
2025/26:1919 by Mathias Tegnér (S) points 1 and 2,
2025/26:1991 by Ann-Sofie Lifvenhage (M),
2025/26:2037 by Sten Bergheden (M),
2025/26:2487 by Anna af Sillén and Adam Reuterskiöld (both M),
2025/26:2581 by Saila Quicklund (M),
2025/26:3573 by Mathias Bengtsson (KD),
2025/26:3581 by Ulrika Liljeberg et al. (C) point 7,
2025/26:3586 by Teresa Carvalho et al. (S) points 111, 114, 115 and 117, and
2025/26:3918 by Teresa Carvalho et al. (S) points 1-3.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motionerna
2025/26:21 av Josef Fransson (SD) yrkande 1,
2025/26:921 av Marie Olsson (S),
2025/26:979 av Helena Lindahl (C),
2025/26:1205 av Viktor Wärnick och Oskar Svärd (båda M),
2025/26:1223 av Eva Lindh m.fl. (S),
2025/26:1349 av Runar Filper (SD) yrkande 1,
2025/26:1919 av Mathias Tegnér (S) yrkandena 1 och 2,
2025/26:1991 av Ann-Sofie Lifvenhage (M),
2025/26:2037 av Sten Bergheden (M),
2025/26:2487 av Anna af Sillén och Adam Reuterskiöld (båda M),
2025/26:2581 av Saila Quicklund (M),
2025/26:3573 av Mathias Bengtsson (KD),
2025/26:3581 av Ulrika Liljeberg m.fl. (C) yrkande 7,
2025/26:3586 av Teresa Carvalho m.fl. (S) yrkandena 111, 114, 115 och 117 samt
2025/26:3918 av Teresa Carvalho m.fl. (S) yrkandena 1-3.
Riksdag decision: The Riksdag has considered a memorandum from the Government on the Swedish National Audit Office's report on the 2015 Police Reform.
The 2015 Police Reform aimed to provide increased flexibility, improved results, higher quality and increased cost-efficiency within the police.
The National Audit Office has reviewed the work of the Swedish Police Authority and the overall conclusion is that the Police Authority has not worked sufficiently effectively to achieve the intentions of the reform.
The Riksdag views positively that the Government has begun work where the management of the Police Authority has increasingly focused on outcomes, and notes that work is also ongoing from both the Government and the police aimed at achieving the intentions of the reform.
The Riksdag also rejected 18 proposals in motions from the general motion period 2025 and referred the memorandum to the records, that is, concludes the matter.
Counter-proposals
The counter-proposal wants to ensure police presence throughout the country through an emergency halt to police station closures and regulated response times for police. (S) — Reservation 1