The number of juvenile robberies in Sweden has increased sharply in recent years. Girls use threats, violence and humiliation more often than boys during the robberies, a new report shows.
The number of reported robberies against people under the age of 18 more than doubled in Sweden in the period 2015–2019, and the suspects are mainly 15–20 years old, according to a recent report from The Crime Prevention Council (Abrupt).
In 2020, the number of reported juvenile robberies decreased somewhat, probably as a result of the covid-19 pandemic. However, the reduction has only taken place in large cities and suburban municipalities. In the rest of the country, the number of reported robberies has continued to increase.
Also read: This is the core of the challenges we face with young criminals
The majority of those suspected of juvenile robbery are boys aged 15–17 with a foreign background and who live in socially disadvantaged areas. The motives behind the youth robberies are usually money needs, status within one’s own group, tension or an underlying conflict.
Nearly half of all juvenile robberies are committed by a person who has been suspected of juvenile robbery more than once.
More girls
A new development is that more girls are included in the disturbing statistics. The proportion of girls suspected of being behind juvenile robbery has increased from four to eight per cent in the period 2015–2019.
The increase in the Stockholm region is particularly clear. The investigation also shows that the way the robberies are carried out is different when at least one girl is included as a suspect than when the suspects are only boys.
– The girls are also often under 15 years old. There are also relatively many threats, violence, use of force and humiliation in connection with these robberies, says project manager Anna Öström in Brå.
She also says that two out of three of all robberies had taken place in Stockholm’s police district.
Why Stockholm stands out so clearly is uncertain, and it is something Brå wants the police to look into.
He knows the environment from the inside. This is what he says about the challenges in this country:
The ransom is humiliated
The study shows that girls who are suspected of juvenile robbery, to a greater extent than boys, know the people they rob.
Brå has looked in particular at the so-called humiliation robberies, ie robberies that are characterized by a desire to intimidate or insult the victim. This type of robbery is more common when girls are among the suspects.
Also read: If juvenile delinquency is most important, double punishment is not the answer
Girls thus seem to use more threats of death and violence. Violence occurs in four out of five robberies, in just over half of the cases there are blows and kicks. In just over one in five cases, the victim has been beaten hard.
The most common among the girls is what Brå calls a demonstration of power with elements of humiliation. Someone may be forced to delete a contact with a boy on the phone or kiss someone’s shoes. Some get their hair cut or get a drink all over them.
It is called giving someone a “fine”, that is, punishing, a person.
– Of course I gave the “pussy” fine, she had slept with my best friend’s girlfriend, said a girl who was a suspect in a case where the victim was threatened with a knife, beaten and violated by about ten people.
Conflicts are behind
It thus seems that girls to a greater extent commit robbery due to conflicts, and not as boys who primarily go for money, status and excitement.
Also read: Statistics Norway: High proportion of 14-year-olds charged with violence and ill-treatment
There may be jealousy and rumors behind it – or it may be about bullying. The robbery can be part of the bullying, says Öström.
Afraid of being robbed
Most juvenile robberies take place in large cities and suburban municipalities, where the increase has also been greatest in recent years. The percentage increase, on the other hand, is greatest in smaller cities and district municipalities. More and more young people also state that they are worried about being exposed to robbery, which is especially evident among boys.
– Although robbery is a fairly small part of the total juvenile delinquency, there are very serious incidents. Being exposed to robbery is a traumatic experience that can take a long time to process, says researcher Maria von Bredow in Brå.
Juvenile robbery usually takes place after school between 3 pm and 10 pm, in areas where there are larger shopping centers and shopping centers, hubs for public transport, schools and sports facilities. Most robberies take place near other people, and common targets for the robbery are mobile phones, branded clothing and wireless headphones.
(©NTB)
–
