How Boden works to prevent crime

As Boden grows and develops, new demands arise in terms of safety and security. The Municipality of Boden therefore works proactively and long-term together with several authorities to detect and counteract crime at an early stage.

– We have very close cooperation. I can pick up the phone and call someone directly within the police, Stegra or the Swedish Armed Forces. We don’t have to go through complicated channels to reach the right information, says Alf Wennskog, responsible for crime prevention work in the Municipality of Boden.

A shared situational overview

An important part of the work is to regularly share information and build a common situational overview among different actors. The municipality therefore holds regular meetings with Stegra and the Swedish Armed Forces where security issues as well as current developments and trends are discussed.

At the same time, there is close cooperation with the police, primarily through the community police officer but also through other functions within the local police area.

The work includes identifying risks linked to labour exploitation, economic crime and the exploitation of people in vulnerable situations – types of crime that often overlap and therefore need to be addressed together.

– We work with respect for each other’s legal frameworks, but legislation today makes it easier to share information between authorities. If we have information that could be important, we should also share it, says Alf Wennskog.

The municipality’s role is primarily to prevent crime through cooperation, information sharing and building knowledge.

Cooperation at several levels

The municipality also participates in meetings with various law enforcement authorities to build networks and increase knowledge about new types of crime.

One example is when the Swedish Economic Crime Authority visited Boden on March 12 to meet with municipal officials and politicians to discuss how economic crime can be linked to large investments and the ongoing societal transformation.

– There are 60 billion reasons why the Economic Crime Authority is visiting northern Sweden. The enormous investments taking place and being planned in the region also attract criminal attention – and we can only address that through strong cooperation between authorities and municipalities, says Caisa Granered, crime prevention specialist at the Swedish Economic Crime Authority.

This type of crime is rarely purely local. For that reason, cooperation with the municipality of Luleå is also being strengthened to increase the effectiveness of efforts against economic crime in the region. Representatives from Luleå also attended the meeting when the Economic Crime Authority visited Boden.

– Economic crime is often both national and international. As large investments are made in the region, greater financial values are also circulating, and that means we need to be extra vigilant, says Alf Wennskog.

Read more about the societal consequences of economic crime in the report >

Police: safety levels remain high

The police confirm that cooperation in Boden works well and helps keep crime levels low.

– A clear success factor is that the municipality is of a manageable size, which creates short contact and decision-making paths. Key actors in this work are the local police area’s community and neighbourhood police officers together with the Municipality of Boden’s crime prevention coordinators, says Jonas Sköld, Head of the Local Police Area Luleå/Boden.

According to him, this type of cooperation is crucial at a time when many societal challenges extend beyond both municipal and national borders.

– Many of the challenges society faces today are not purely local. Crime often has clear international connections. Such challenges require all actors to contribute based on their respective roles. We are simply stronger together.

Proof that the work is effective

Despite the major industrial establishment in the municipality and the fact that significantly more people are present in Boden today than just a few years ago, crime levels remain low.

– Crime levels in Boden remain low and the sense of safety is high. Considering the development in recent years, with a major industrial establishment and thousands more people in the municipality, this is proof that we have a well-functioning crime prevention effort, says Jonas Sköld.

At the same time, he emphasizes that the work must continue.

– We must take people’s concerns seriously, because they do exist. Here the police, the municipality and other societal actors all share a responsibility to continue working together for a safe and secure Boden.

According to Jonas Sköld, Head of the Local Police Area Luleå/Boden, the strong cooperation between the municipality, the police and other actors involved in the societal transformation is a clear success factor in the crime prevention work.