SWEDEN

Fighting organized crime in Sweden

Sweden is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe, which shares borders with Norway, Finland and a strait water border with Denmark. This geographical location is attractive to international organized crime groups wishing to smuggle illicit produce into Europe or across Scandinavia.

An increasing part of serious and organized crime in Sweden relates to information technology. When it comes to smuggling offences, Sweden is mainly a destination and transit country. This applies to drugs, firearms, and the trafficking and smuggling of human beings.

The international characteristics of these crime areas and their links with crime networks around the world make the role of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) in Sweden fundamental to maintaining national and regional security.

INTERPOL in Sweden

NCB Stockholm is the leading police cooperation platform for Swedish law enforcement to identify, investigate and prevent global crime affecting Sweden. It works with NCBs in all continents to monitor the global crime situation and enable preventive action in Sweden when required.

Housed at the national police headquarters in Stockholm, the Swedish NCB is part of the International Section of the Division of International Affairs at the Department of National Operations.

Operational 24 hours a day, the International Section is staffed by 55 men and women. They help police officers across Sweden to detect and investigate the flow of illicit goods along trafficking routes in and around the country, by sharing globally-sourced intelligence about regional organized crime.

Law enforcement in Sweden

Law enforcement services in Sweden are provided by one single police organization, the Swedish Police Authority, which is part of the Ministry of Justice.

Sweden’s Department of National Operations (NOA) is headed by a Commissioner who reports directly to the National Police Commissioner.

The NOA leads and coordinates Sweden’s fight against organized crime both at national and international level. It is also responsible for coordinating police efforts during crisis situations and events of national concern.

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