During the ongoing wave of violence, it has been clear that the police in Stockholm are screaming for police officers. Intensive campaigning is now underway to get more people to apply to the police academy and the police's vacant positions.

By January 2025, the goal is 6,362 police officers in the Stockholm region. To get there, 1,060 more police officers are needed, according to figures from February 2023. But the police's forecast is that they will be able to hire 300 new police officers until then.

Looking for applicants in new target groups

This year, the police have begun to actively seek out students at high schools, colleges and universities. At Tumba Gymnasium, three area police officers from Botkyrka are busy answering questions from students at the school.

"Many students are curious. A lot of questions are about the salary and the risks of the police profession, says Ludvig Sonehag Bröms, who is a local police officer in Botkyrka.

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The police are currently conducting a national recruitment campaign to get more applicants for the police profession. Photo: Simon Lundvall/SVT

Wants to offer police housing

A recurring explanation for why there are no police officers in Stockholm is the difficult housing situation. Lawyers at the Stockholm Police Region are now investigating whether there are ways to make things easier for police officers.

– Our lawyers are investigating whether it is possible that we as an authority can assist with housing even though we do not own any properties, says Annika Ingvarsson, group leader and coordinator for growth at the police in Stockholm.

Another new approach that the police have just launched is to offer applicants to the police academy a mentorship before the admission process. In this way, they hope that fewer fall away initially.