The tragic incident for all parties when Eric Torell was shot to death in connection with a police intervention should now be tried in the district court. Maybe Eric Torell would have been alive if the police had a counterpart to the medical service's Lex Maria.
It is impossible to know, but before the incident happened, several police officers had contacted me independently and expressed their great concern that something like this would happen.
That they turned to me as a researcher was because they felt that there was no such channel internally, and that fears and perceived change needs were not welcomed but counteracted.
It is difficult for an organization to develop when employees do not dare to express critical views.
In the research report "Sitting hard to hard", which deals with police use of violence and conflict resolution, I quote a police officer who has been attacked internally for expressing criticism:
"It was not because what I said was controversial but because of the prevailing culture within the police. The police are a non-reflective organization, although there are many police officers who reflect. ”
He is definitely not alone in this view, which is shown, among other things, in Malin Wieslander's report "The Speaking Silence" and in other research.
When something goes wrong or when the police are subjected to criticism, a police report is often drawn up, which is largely always aimed at assessing whether staff at the end of the line have committed a crime.
With the current way of dealing with incidents, when the police's actions can be called into question, the probability is that the police will be able to deal with structural problems and things that are not about behavior that is considered to be a crime.
In addition, the role of senior executives within the Swedish police in order for a situation to arise is usually completely in the cloud.
Given the shooting of Eric Torell, it should be mentioned that at the highest operational level within the police, decisions had been taken which meant a unilateral focus on so-called worst-case scenarios.
Personnel were not even given the absolute minimum amount of annual training in the skills that the authority itself identified as necessary for the work environment of the police, the citizens' legal security and the credibility of the Police Authority.
In addition, for a long time, senior police management has acted in a way that did not favor the possibility of retaining experienced police personnel in the intervention activities, which is important given the difficult assignments that these police officers can be faced with.
The police authority has a difficult and important role in society. Not least, this has been evident in recent times when explosion and murder have received a lot of attention, but also by highlighting various types of police work failures.
I hope that the light is now directed at the chief injuries that have long been the ones that have in effect ruled the Swedish police. Instead of a liability claim that could make a difference, a change was made by the national police chief just over 1.5 years ago.
Such a change of figurehead has little significance when those in control are the same.
How can these people gain continued trust?
They need to be replaced with managers with a more modern leadership and a different view of knowledge and preventative work.
The police are in dire need of such a change, although this does not make Eric Torell recover his life.