The fact that the police were reorganized in 2015 is something Mikael Damberg thinks was right, despite the fact that the drug loot disappeared. According to him, the problem was instead that the police organization was too small.

- Then things got prioritized away. Some of the long-term, strategic prevention work was put aside to be able to go on emergency jobs. The police were not present in these areas and it has created open drug scenes near young people, says the interior minister.

"Police may decide on cameras"

It is already decided that there will be 10,000 new police officers by 2024. Mikael Damberg mentions some other measures that will strengthen the police in the fight against drug trafficking.

"From the turn of the year, the police themselves will have to decide on setting up cameras to knock out open drug scenes, and there will be more locally present police officers who know their area," he says.

"Able to change the environment for young people"

But Damberg points out that it is not only police efforts that are important to protect young people from getting caught in the wrong environments.

- It takes a very long time before the social services act today, because the requirements are very high set for them to intervene. We are looking at that now. We must also find some intermediate form of coercion where we do not have to place young people, but still be able to change the environment for them. And so we need to help municipalities that need to make LVU investments with the big costs so that it can be done on time.

Want to tighten the penalty for the gang

He does not, however, believe in lowering the penal age proposed by the Moderates.

- It would not have helped in these cases when they were 13 years old. On the other hand, we want to tighten the punishment for those who engage young people in criminal environments. It is the gang that will receive the punishment.