Homicide prosecutor: The police's lack of resources creates problems

Over the years, Alexandra Bittner has led a series of murder investigations, most recently the one surrounding the murder of a 27-year-old man in Rinkeby on Christmas Day.

It was the first of the last few weeks' acts of violence in Stockholm, and there the lack of resources is felt, among other things, by the fact that police officers have been replaced several times during the investigation. 

- It creates extra work, above all for the police, when there is a turnover of personnel in an investigation group during a fairly short period of two weeks, says Alexandra Bittner.

Extra resources have been called in

Since before, police officers from the rest of the country are on site in Stockholm to assist in serious criminal investigations and more have been sent after the violent acts after Christmas.

According to SvD, the Stockholm police have around 180 police officers available in a national reinforcement organization, NFO. 

In the Rinkebymorde, among others, the investigation leader from Region Bergslagen, who is described as "extremely experienced and extremely competent in that role" by the prosecutor.

But the large intake of police officers from outside is questioned internally.

- Had there been investigators with good personal knowledge of those behind it, we would have been able to see patterns and connections in a much better way, says a police source.

"Success melody to have local knowledge"

According to the Stockholm police, the strained resource situation requires tough priorities all the time.

The police officers from the rest of the country are an important addition who are never left alone, says the commanding officer against firearm violence. 

- It is a melody of success to have local knowledge.

We always make sure that we enrich and secure with anchoring from the current local police area and our own sections for serious crimes, says Max Åkerwall, police chief. 

Prosecutor Alexandra Bittner is concerned about what she calls a structural problem, with an extremely high workload for experienced investigators, where some also quit. 

- The situation in Stockholm is absolutely exceptional, it means that you have to put resources from other parts of the country and also with people who have less experience.

You can think about what that means in the long run.