Over the past year, 36 percent of businesses in Sweden have reported being affected by crime. Despite this, only 31 percent of incidents were brought to the attention of the police. Experts describe the situation as alarming and are urging stronger measures to address the issue.

The wave of crimes targeting Swedish businesses shows no signs of abating. Currently, 36 percent of businesses – approximately 120,000 companies – have reported falling victim to somy type of criminal activity.

Lena Nitz, a crime and security policy expert with the Confederation of Swedish Enterprises, noted that since the last survey, there has been a 12-percent increase in the proportion of businesses that do not report crimes to the police.

“This is a warning sign. If crimes go unreported because people do not trust the police to resolve them, it erodes faith in the rule of law and the social contract,” she told the Confederation of Swedish Enterprises.

Businesses are most frequently targeted by theft, vandalism, shoplifting, and burglaries. This widespread crime is now undermining economic growth, creating uncertainty, and harming society. It also hinders business expansion and development, creating a precarious environment for investments and long-term planning,

– writes the Swedish Samnytt news portal.

According to Ms. Nitz, one in ten businesses refrains from making investments due to fear of crime and a sense of vulnerability. This, in turn, affects job opportunities and economic progress, she said.

To bolster law enforcement agencies’ crime prevention efforts, the report suggests several measures, including the appointment of a national coordinator within the government agencies, enforcing zero tolerance for crime by the police, and involving the business community in local crime prevention strategies.

The report also calls for the National Crime Prevention Council (BRA) to be tasked with the review and amendment of crime statistics.

“Without an accurate picture of crime in society, making effective policy decisions will prove to be difficult,”

– Ms. Nitz declared.