According to BRÅ, it was expected that fewer Swedes would report crimes as a result of the corona pandemic. In March this year, a total of 120 648 crimes were reported, which can be compared with 126 016 crimes the same month last year, according to preliminary figures.
Looking at the entire first quarter of 2020, the number of reported crimes has increased by five percent, and in January and February there is no decrease in the number of crimes. This indicates that the pandemic may have affected, according to BRÅ.
Drug crime was the only overall category that did not decrease during March, but has instead increased slightly since March last year.
The reported maltreatment offenses against adult women in couple relationships have increased significantly in March, a full 61 percent, according to BRÅ, but the increase started already before March. At the same time, abuse in close relationships through family and kinship has decreased by 52 percent in March. According to BRÅ, it is therefore difficult to analyze the development and draw conclusions about the impact of the pandemic situation.
In Stockholm, which is affected by the corona virus to a greater extent than the rest of Sweden, the number of reported crimes has decreased even more than in the country as a whole in March this year. In January and February, more reports of crimes were received in the Stockholm region, but in March the notifications decreased by seven percent, compared with March 2019.