The Riksdag wants to increase the customs' powers to stop theft leagues

Theft leagues that steal, for example, boat engines or car parts and are brought out of the country have been a much debated topic during the year. Both the government and the opposition want the Customs Administration to have greater opportunities to detect and stop theft at the border.

However, from May to July this year, less than 0.5 per cent of the customs duty was spent on outbound checks.

Finding theft is not really included in the duty. If the Customs would still find theft, you have no right to seize it or arrest suspects. However, there is broad support among the parliamentary parties to give the customs greater powers and more resources.

- First, it is completely unreasonable that the Customs staff still has no way of being able to stop vehicles with suspected theft goods. Then the Customs staff must become more, says Johan Forssell, jurisprudential spokesperson in the Moderates.

SVT has spoken to the parliamentary parties, and similar opinions are expressed both on the right and left and in the middle.

"Above all, you must give the customs greater powers to be able to keep suspected theft until police arrive, but there must also be increased checks and then we must have more staff," says Adam Marttinen, judicial spokesperson for the Sweden Democrats.

- It is a matter of course that customs' powers must be investigated and developed. We cannot have what today when customs officials are allowed to stand and watch while smuggled goods are transported out of Sweden, says Linda Snecker, judicial spokesperson for the Left Party.

- We have for a long time proposed that they should be given extended powers and a resource supplement to meet it, says Center Party's spokesperson Johan Hedin.

The Liberals and Christian Democrats also respond that they want to strengthen the role and powers of the Customs in stopping theft.

- It's a very big problem. Customs must be given increased powers and resources. As it seems today, it is easy for international theft leagues to bring theft out of the country, says Andreas Carlsson, jurisprudential spokesman for the Christian Democrats.

- The government has said to look at the matter but has hidden it in an assignment to the Customs Administration, which means that we will probably get tougher legislation 2021 at the earliest, even though the problem is quite obvious.

However, the message from the government is that they want to wait and see. The Customs Administration, the Police and the Coast Guard have been assigned the task of jointly reviewing how to strengthen the work against theft leagues. This autumn, a pilot project will be launched in Skåne where the three authorities will work together and see if this will be more effective. The assignment will be presented to the government in February 2020.

- Right now, the Police, the Customs and Coast Guard have a mission to coordinate to stop these theft leagues, which is a major problem in Sweden. Now let's see how they work. If they say they would need to change legislation in order to work better, then of course I am prepared to listen to it, says Finance Minister Magdalena Andersson (S).

- But I am not prepared to relinquish the important task the customs have to stop weapons and drugs from entering the country.