Secret and preventive coercive measures when children under 15 years of age commit crimes

The plan states that all people have the right to protection of their personal integrity and that the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the child's best interests must guide in every situation. The election manifesto explicitly rejects repression and tougher measures as the main approach to youth crime and points instead to preventive measures against recruitment. The counter-proposal's requirement for a more limited model, with regard to children's integrity and legal security, thus aligns with the plan's line.

• repression rejected as a solutiondecisive»Alltför ofta lyfts repression och hårdare tag upp som lösningar istället för att ta itu med problemen på allvar.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Too often repression and tougher measures are raised as solutions instead of tackling the problems seriously.”
• protection of personal integrity»har rätt till skydd av sin personliga integritet« (party programme ↗)“have the right to protection of their personal integrity”
• the child's best interests guide»barnkonventionen och principen att i varje läge se till barnets« (party programme ↗)“the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the principle that in every situation consider the child's”
• prevention before tougher tools»Vissa straff kan behöva höjas men mycket mer fokus måste riktas mot att förhindra rekryteringen av nya barn till gängkriminalitet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Some sentences may need to be increased but much more focus must be directed at preventing the recruitment of new children into gang crime.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The election manifesto explicitly demands that police be given more tools, including better opportunities for wiretapping and house searches, and that the fight against crime shall be uncompromising. The plan also particularly points to criminal networks' exploitation of children and young people as what must be stopped. The counter-proposal's requirement for a more limited model pulls in the opposite direction from the plan's requirement for expanded powers. The requirement for rule of law is present in the party programme but does not outweigh the election manifesto's clear tools line.

• more tools for policedecisive»Polisen behöver också fler verktyg, som bättre möjligheter till avlyssning och husrannsakan.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Police also need more tools, such as better opportunities for wiretapping and house searches.”
• uncompromising crime prevention»Kampen mot kriminaliteten ska vara kompromisslös.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The fight against crime shall be uncompromising.”
• stop exploitation of children»Offensiva insatser mot nyrekrytering och utnyttjande av barn och unga.« (party programme ↗)“Offensive measures against recruitment and exploitation of children and young people.”
• rule of law in criminal policy»Kriminalpolitik byggd på evidens, effektivitet och rättssäkerhet.« (party programme ↗)“Criminal policy based on evidence, efficiency and rule of law.”

The party programme states that the party opposes all laws that entail disproportionate interference with integrity and that crime prevention shall not happen at the expense of human rights. The counter-proposal is based on precisely that objection: that secret and preventive coercive measures against children under 15 years are disproportionate and threaten children's integrity and rule of law, and that a more limited model should be chosen. The requirement for the Convention on the Rights of the Child as Swedish law and for child impact assessments of political decisions point in the same direction. The plan's emphasis is moreover on preventive measures rather than expanded coercive measures.

• no to disproportionate integrity interferencedecisive»Vi motsätter oss alla lagar som innebär oproportionerliga ingrepp i integriteten. Brotts- och terrorbekämpning är viktigt men ska inte ske på bekostnad av mänskliga rättigheter.« (party programme ↗)“We oppose all laws that entail disproportionate interference in integrity. Crime and terrorism prevention is important but shall not happen at the expense of human rights.”
• the Convention on the Rights of the Child as Swedish law»FN:s barnkonvention ska bli svensk lag och politiska beslut bör föregås av en barnkonsekvensanalys.« (party programme ↗)“The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child shall become Swedish law and political decisions should be preceded by a child impact assessment.”
• protect integrity against surveillance»De ökade möjligheterna till övervakning kräver att politiken slår vakt om människors möjlighet att värna sin integritet.« (party programme ↗)“The increased opportunities for surveillance require that politics guards people's ability to protect their integrity.”
• preventive work primarily»storsatsa på det förebyggande arbetet i socioekonomiskt eftersatta områden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“make a major effort in preventive work in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas.”

The election manifesto explicitly rejects preventive wiretapping and establishes that the individual's rights against the state shall be defended. The party programme moreover demands proportionality between the legislation's integrity intrusion and its purpose, and that children's rights are placed foremost. The counter-proposal's demand for a more limited model thus follows the plan, while a broad introduction of secret and preventive coercive measures against children under 15 years conflicts with it. The plan wishes to combat gang criminality with more police and preventive measures, not with expanded surveillance of children.

• no to preventive wiretappingdecisive»Rättsstaten och individens rättigheter gentemot staten måste försvaras. Vi säger därför nej till visitationszoner, kollektiv bestraffning, omvänd bevisbörda, anonyma vittnen, preventiv avlyssning och inskränkningar av religionsfriheten.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The rule of law and the individual's rights against the state must be defended. We therefore say no to stop-and-search zones, collective punishment, reversed burden of proof, anonymous witnesses, preventive wiretapping and restrictions on freedom of religion.”
• proportionality in integrity intrusions»Det måste finnas en proportionalitet mellan lagstiftningens inskränkning av medborgarnas integritet och lagarnas syfte.« (party programme ↗)“There must be proportionality between the legislation's restriction of citizens' integrity and the laws' purpose.”
• children's rights foremost»Samhällets aktörer ska inta individens perspektiv. Av största betydelse är då barnens rättigheter och perspektiv.« (party programme ↗)“Society's actors shall take the individual's perspective. Of paramount importance are then children's rights and perspective.”
• gang crime combated preventively»Samhället ska inte vika sig för gängen. För att besegra dem krävs bättre insatser som förebygger nyrekrytering, mer resurser till polis, åklagare, domstolar och kriminalvården och strängare straff.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Society shall not yield to gangs. To defeat them requires better measures that prevent recruitment, more resources to police, prosecutors, courts and the prison service and tougher sentences.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The plan explicitly requires that secret coercive powers shall be able to be used in more crimes than today and after court decision even without concrete criminal suspicion. It also wants crimes where the suspect is under 15 as a main rule to be investigated and that more children being raised into criminality can be taken into care. The counter-proposal's demand for a more circumscribed model thereby goes against the plan, even though the plan simultaneously wants to strengthen integrity protection.

• expanded secret coercive powersdecisive»Avlyssning och andra hemliga tvångsmedel ska kunna användas både vid misstanke om fler brott än i dag och efter domstolsbeslut mot organiserade gängmedlemmar även utan konkret brottsmisstanke.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Surveillance and other secret coercive powers shall be able to be used both for suspicion of more crimes than today and after court decision against organized gang members even without concrete criminal suspicion.”
• crimes by children shall be investigated»Huvudregeln ska vara att alla brott som anmäls till polis och där den misstänkte är under 15 år ska« (party programme ↗)“The main rule shall be that all crimes reported to police and where the suspect is under 15 shall”
• early interventions against children»betydligt fler barn som fostras in i kriminalitet eller själva begår grova brott ska kunna omhändertas« (2022 manifesto ↗)“significantly more children being raised into criminality or themselves committing serious crimes shall be able to be taken into care”
• strengthened integrity protection»Skyddet för den enskildes integritet ska stärkas.« (party programme ↗)“Protection for the individual's integrity shall be strengthened.”

The election manifesto requires that security is restored and that social services' possibilities for compulsory measures against children and young people who commit crimes are strengthened, and that the entire justice system is expanded. The counter-proposal's demand for a more limited model restricts exactly the tools the plan wants to strengthen against serious youth crime. The plan's requirement for caution in handling personal data remains as a limit, but does not outweigh.

• compulsory measures against young criminalsdecisive»Stärk sociala insatser och socialtjänstens möjligheter till tvingande åtgärder gentemot barn och unga som begår brott.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen social measures and social services' possibilities for compulsory measures towards children and young people who commit crimes.”
• restored security»Tryggheten på gator och torg måste återupprättas, brottsförebyggande arbetet måste stärkas, brottslingar dömas och brottsoffer få upprättelse.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Security on streets and squares must be restored, crime prevention work must be strengthened, criminals convicted and crime victims receive redress.”
• expanded justice system»Hela rättsväsendet behöver byggas ut. Fler poliser kräver fler åklagare, domstolar på fler platser i landet och en kraftigt utbyggd kriminalvård.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The entire justice system needs to be expanded. More police require more prosecutors, courts in more places in the country and a significantly expanded criminal justice system.”
• caution with personal data»det offentliga måste tillämpa stor försiktighet och respekt för den personliga integriteten vid hantering av personuppgifter.« (party programme ↗)“the public must apply great caution and respect for personal integrity in the handling of personal data.”

The plan demands stronger tools against serious youth and gang crime: visit zones, removed secrecy barriers between police and social services and more young offenders being detained. A counter-proposal that wants to limit coercive measures against children under 15 to a narrower model goes the opposite direction. The plan therefore speaks against the counter-proposal's demand.

• expanded police powersdecisive»Införa visitationszoner så att Polisen får bättre möjligheter att leta efter vapen« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Introduce visit zones so that the Police have better opportunities to search for weapons”
• early intervention against young people»Se till att fler unga lagöverträdare häktas när det rör sig om allvarliga brott och det finns risk för återfall« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Ensure that more young offenders are detained when it comes to serious crimes and there is risk of reoffending”
• information sharing about young people»Ta bort sekretesshindren mellan polis och socialtjänst samt inrätta ett nationellt no entry-program för unga i riskzonen i syfte att snabbt stoppa en påbörjad kriminell karriär« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Remove the secrecy barriers between police and social services and establish a national no entry program for young people at risk in order to quickly stop an incipient criminal career”
• adapted legislation against gangs»Gängen är Sveriges inhemska terrorister – och lagstiftningen måste anpassas därefter så att fler ställs till svars och försvinner från gatan.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Gangs are Sweden's domestic terrorists – and the legislation must be adapted accordingly so that more are held accountable and disappear from the streets.”

The plan explicitly requires that the legal system be able to map out gang-active individuals through intelligence work, surveillance, camera monitoring and wiretapping, and that procedural obstacles to increased prosecution be removed. It also wants to lower the age of criminal responsibility and give the legal system and social services the opportunity to intervene early against young people in gang environments. The counter-proposal's requirement for a more limited model with regard to children's integrity conflicts with these commitments.

• wiretapping against gang criminalsdecisive»Åtgärder ska vidtas för att bättre kunna kartlägga gängaktiva genom t.ex. underrättelsearbete och informationsinhämtning, spaning, kameraövervakning och avlyssning.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Measures should be taken to better map out gang-active individuals through, for example, intelligence work and information gathering, surveillance, camera monitoring and wiretapping.”
• early interventions against young people»Ge socialtjänst, skola och rättsväsende möjlighet att ingripa med tuffare tag i ett tidigt skede« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Give social services, schools and the legal system the opportunity to intervene with tougher action at an early stage”
• lowered age of criminal responsibility»Sänka straffmyndighetsåldern« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Lower the age of criminal responsibility”
• removed procedural obstacles»Processuella hinder för att möjliggöra en ökad lagföring måste också undanröjas.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Procedural obstacles to enable increased prosecution must also be removed.”