Big strike against sex buyers in central Stockholm

Of the eleven men, ten admitted the crime on the spot. Mats Eriksson says that the police met several sex workers at the strike - all were women.

- The men are likely to be sentenced for sexual service purchases. I cannot comment on this particular effort, but from the previous effort we know that most women come from difficult conditions and from poor countries in Europe. In many cases, we suspect that they have been subjected to human trafficking, he says.

The operation was led by the Norrmalm Police. Also in place at the raid were the youth group of the police, the human trafficking group and the social administration.

Why was the youth group in place?

- Just last night, the youth group was in place as an outreach activity for young crime victims, says Mats Eriksson.

Why is the youth group usually in place?

- They usually participate because the perpetrators are young, or that those who have been exposed to crimes were young.

- The youth group, among other things, works with something called "sugar dating", ie the elderly who buy sex from young people. It is about people under 18, sometimes as young as 13 years.

Mats Eriksson cannot answer if any of the sex workers at the night's strike was under 18 years of age.

Mats Eriksson says the effort was part of the police's ongoing work against prostitution.

- We have worked, among other things, against prostitution in the City, Kungsholmen, Vasastan and Östermalm. There is the extensive sex trade.

- The work has changed towards what it was like when prostitution happened on the streets and squares. Now it is happening in apartment hotels and apartments that are short-term leased via rental organizations, he says.

This is not the first big hit against sex buyers this year. In February, police arrested about 40 people in a fight against several apartment brothels in central Stockholm.