Forsell (M): Gang criminals must be able to be given double punishment

The fact that a 12-year-old girl was shot to death in Norsborg this weekend has created strong reactions. According to information to SVT Nyheter, the girl was hit by a bullet in a gang-related act.

Minister of the Interior Mikael Damberg (S) stated in SVT's Morgonstudion that he feels a great anger towards the criminal gangs. The opposition now demands a tougher grip on the criminal groups.

- It's terrible, my thoughts go to the girl's relatives. A police investigation is now underway and it must be given an answer as to why this happened and who is behind it, says Johan Forssell (M), legal policy spokesman for the Moderates.

- But this is not an isolated event but follows a long series of shootings that have plagued Sweden for a long time and that do not seem to decrease, rather increase.

What is required is a rethink in legal policy, according to Johan Forssell.

- Sweden is at a point where gang crime is so extensive that it cannot be solved with temporary measures such as Rimfrost. We know that there are a relatively small number of people who have this incredible capital of violence and who lack respect for human life. They must be locked.

- That you can be released from prison because you get a penalty rebate due to age or because you have committed many crimes creates completely unreasonable consequences. The moderates have proposed a punishment mechanism such as in Denmark where a person who commits a gang-related crime should be able to be sentenced to double punishment. If more gang leaders are locked in, it will have a crime prevention effect.

According to Adam Marttinen, the Sweden Democrats' legal policy spokesperson, crimes with roots in gang criminal environments should be able to be handled in a similar way as terrorist activities.

- Then you do not need to be able to be tied to a specific crime, but it is enough that you have been involved in enabling criminal settlements. It may be that you get a higher penalty value for less serious acts that take place in an organized criminal environment.

In addition to general penalties, Adam Marttinen wants to change the conditions for how and where convicts serve their sentences.

- Today, you take into account that you should be close to friends and family. We think this is secondary. We have opened up for them to be able to serve their sentences in other countries in Europe, so that they can be completely forgotten in their original environments, including Swedish citizens.