Reports of shootings in the streets are nothing new to Swedes.

The figures that a report has now provided are already there.

They clearly show that in almost all of Europe the number of fatal shootings has either decreased or increased irregularly over the past 20 years.

In Sweden, however, the increase was clear.

Matthias Wyssuwa

Political correspondent for Northern Germany and Scandinavia based in Hamburg.

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    The report of the National Council on Crime Prevention, published on Wednesday, not only caused a stir, but also fueled the political debate that should be decisive for the election next year: What can be done against the violence of the gangs?

    Three developments are listed

    The 132-page report compares 22 countries in Europe.

    According to this, Sweden was still at the bottom of the list with the most deadly shootings in the early 2000s.

    The increase began in the mid-2000s and has grown faster and faster in recent years.

    In Sweden there are now a good four victims of firearms per year for every million inhabitants, the European average is 1.6.

    In the past year alone, 48 people were shot.

    According to the report, about 80 percent of the shootings in the kingdom are related to organized crime.

    The report is cautious about the reasons for the increase.

    Three developments are listed that may have contributed to this: drug trafficking, conflict between gangs and low levels of trust in the police in socially disadvantaged residential areas.

    A single cause cannot be named, not even immigration or integration.

    "Shame on Sweden"

    The criticism of the red-green government from the opposition is clearer.

    The middle-class moderates spoke of a “shame for Sweden”, while the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats spoke of a “surrender” of the government.

    In addition to better equipment for the police and tougher penalties, they are calling for a stricter immigration policy.

    Prime Minister Stefan Löfven of the Social Democrats has already tried to clear the issue with reforms, so far with little success.

    He also broke new ground in rhetoric: Last year he drew a connection between high immigration figures and increased crime: If you have immigration on a scale that makes integration difficult, this leads to social tensions.