At the beginning of the corona pandemic, the police saw a decrease in the number of crimes in Sweden. Not least in international crime networks that specialize in, for example, theft or drugs when they were affected by closed borders.

In a new report, the police have looked at the consequences that corona pandemic can have on the development of crime. The report looks at two different scenarios. One looks at the consequences of the ongoing pandemic in the short term. The second is a drawn-out scenario about how crime development is affected in a protracted pandemic.

Exposed areas

Regardless of how lengthy the pandemic becomes, for example, vulnerable areas will be hit harder, not least because of the financial consequences that may in turn lead to more recruits being sent to criminal networks.

During the corona pandemic, more people stay home and the crimes also find other ways. Among other things, the report identifies crimes on the Internet as one of several types of crime that will increase in the long term. For example, the threat posed by cybercriminals is considered high in the long term.

Sexual offenses against children online

Regarding, for example, sexual offenses against children online, there is no significant increase in reports linked to the corona pandemic. But regardless of the scenario, the police estimate that there will be something that will increase as more young people stay home because of the pandemic.

- More children of earlier ages are connected on the internet. Then I think more perpetrators can spread more in a short time and everything goes much faster. It is precisely the availability of children that I believe is a major factor in this, ”says Louise Åhlen, criminal inspector with a focus on internet-related sexual crimes against children at NOA.

According to the police, it is not possible to rate how safe they are on all the consequences.