"If we don't act now, it will fundamentally affect our society," says Micael Säll Lindahl, regional police chief. Archive image.
Police in the North are drawing a line in the snow against the criminal gangs flocking to the region’s trillion-kronor investment boom.
A special task force, "Mobilization against economic crime," has already hit a key target, training over 400 officers to hunt down the illegal operators exploiting the historic industrial transition. The result is a surge in company inspections, targeting vulnerable sectors such as waste management and logistics where criminal influence is a growing threat.
– Where there is money, there are opportunities, but also risks, warns regional police chief Micael Säll Lindahl.
– If we don't act now, it will fundamentally affect our society.
The crackdown focuses on protecting the most vulnerable. Project manager Linnea Goossen highlights the success in tackling illegal labour, where workers face dangerous conditions and unfair wages. She issues a stark warning to firms breaking the rules.
– The companies that are taking advantage of others in these uncertain times can be sure that we see them too – and they will see us, says Goossen.
This isn't just a local fight. Police are now working closer than ever with national authorities and Europol to counter the organised crime threat. Looking ahead, the project is developing an "innovation council" and partnering with Umeå University experts to stay one step ahead.
One of the project’s goals was to train at least 400 police employees in economic crime
Intelligence chief Frida Kröger Nygren says the entire community must mobilise to protect the region from corruption, extortion, and fraud gaining a permanent foothold.
– The vulnerabilities need to be worked on, on many different levels, she states.
– We must identify them earlier and influence them to a greater extent.
FAKTA
- The background to the three-year project "Mobilization against economic crime" in northern Sweden, which is part-financed by the European Social Fund, is the major societal transformation currently underway in northern Sweden. Over 1000 billion kronor will be invested in the region in the coming years, creating growth for both legal and illegal actors.
- The criminal economy is the main driving force behind many forms of crime and the impact of organised crime on the legal economy poses a serious threat to individuals, businesses, public organisations, the welfare system and thus the economy as a whole. In addition to the economic consequences, there is also a risk that crime such as human exploitation, arms and drug trafficking, as well as corruption, undue influence, extortion and fraud will gain a permanent foothold in northern Sweden.
- The project aims to influence future developments through strengthened monitoring of the external environment, increased skills among police employees, and deeper collaboration with other social actors.