Within the framework of the Stop Shooting, several conversations were recently held with people within violent groups linked to fatal violence in Malmö. The aim was to get people to resolve their conflicts and leave the criminal path.

In the spring of 2020, a dozen or so trials involving persons within the Stop Shooting have been initiated or held.

- We would have liked to see these people leave the crime behind and find another way to live their lives, but above all we want them to survive, says Glen Sjögren, Malmö Municipal Police, in a press release on Tuesday.

He adds:

- The police, the City of Malmö and the Frivården have been standing ready to help them. But if you do not accept the help we offer and continue your violent criminal lifestyle, the police and the entire judicial system are ready to put a stop to them.

Many want to jump off

Over the past few months, some 30 individuals within violent groups in Malmö have taken steps to leave their old lives behind.

A dozen of these try to change their situation at home while a dozen, with a different situation, have moved to another place.

- The fact that about ten people have recently had the courage to leave their criminal context and also move, we see as a great success. These individuals are so far serious in their desire to change their lives, says Rebeca Persson at the defrosting operation in the City of Malmö.

Important to continue the work

The goal of Stop Shoot is to stop the deadly violence.

Since the start of the year, four shootings have taken place in Malmö. In 2019, a total of 34 shootings occurred. 47 shootings occurred in 2018 and in 2017, 65 occurred.

- The trend with fewer firearms is obviously something we are happy with and our conviction is that both Stop Shooting as a strategy and Operation Rimfrost have had a major impact on the downward trend. At the same time, we know that there are several conflicts in the criminal environment that can quickly escalate into violence and it is important for us to remain vigilant in our work, ”says Mattias Sigfridsson, acting police chief of Malmö.