In Sweden, the number of district court hearings completed in 2020 has decreased by almost 5,000 hearings compared with the previous year. In Ystad, on the other hand, the development looks different.

Instead, nine percent more negotiations were conducted in the first half of the year compared with the average for the same period 2017-2019. This shows figures produced by SVT.

Sees several explanations

Why Ystad does not see the same development as the rest of Sweden, Stefan Olsson, head of Ystad District Court, believes that there are several explanations for this.

- On the one hand, the spread of infection is lower here in Skåne. Since then, the staff has worked very hard and well. And in addition, a large part of our negotiations are arrest negotiations, which of course is reflected in the statistics, says Stefan Olsson, lawyer at Ystad District Court.

Had to adjust

Since the advent of the corona pandemic, Sweden's district courts have had to change and become more digital, a change that Stefan Olsson thinks Ystad District Court has managed well.

- Now it has become everyday to have different parties in a negotiation via a link. We have worked with it before as well, but not at all to this extent, he says.

And Stefan Olsson believes that negotiations over the link will continue to be common in the future as well.

- I absolutely think so. I think we have noticed that this works really well, even in situations where before you may have been a little hesitant to use it.