More and more reports of threats and violence against employees in security institutions

A compilation by SVT of the number of incidents in institutions with the highest security class shows that reported cases involving violence and threats against employees have increased significantly in recent years.

- It is an escalating situation of threat and violence that our members face.

I think it is incredibly important that we raise it and I think the debate that is now taking place is extremely important.

No employee should have to live with threats and violence in their workplace, says Gabriella Lavecchia, chairman of Seko.

She hopes that last week's hostage drama at the institution in Hällby will serve as a warning bell and a sign that more needs to be done about the situations in the prisons.

Report more according to the Swedish Prison and Probation Service

According to Jörgen From Nordin, acting director of security at the Swedish Prison and Probation Service, this may be a combination of more inmates at the institutions and increased security work where more are reported.

- One should not tolerate that there are threats or violence so it is reported much more.

But it is also probably more perpetrators of violence that we have inside who are guilty of these misconduct, he says.

In 2015, 32 incidents involving violence against employees were reported, in 2020 there were 135 cases.

It can be anything from an inmate pushing someone on the shoulder to a pure assault.

- What is gratifying is that a fairly large part of the incidents are of a lesser degree of seriousness and this means that it does not escalate and become more serious events.

This means that the staff handles it in a very good way.

Over 200 reported threats this year

Reports of threats have also increased significantly.

So far this year alone, there are 209 cases in the institutions with the highest security class.

- It is in security institutions that we put the people who do the most misery for us.

It's about people with violence problems, short stubbornness and perhaps a rather bad feeling for how others experience things.

How do you continue to work on this?

- We analyze the figures and continue working with educations.

Recently, we made major visitation efforts at the security institutions to ensure that we did not have weapons and such inside.

It is a constant effort to get this at as low levels as possible.

Are you doing enough?

- Yes, considering that there are very few really serious incidents and it is a risky business that we conduct.

As long as we have the prison care we have and stand for in Sweden, we can probably never guarantee that it will be zero, but it is of course an endeavor we have.