The number of crimes involving minors under 15 years old doubled in the past decade in the country
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The Government of Sweden announced on Wednesday its plan to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 13 years old, aiming to curb the growing problem of juvenile crime.
For more than a decade, the Scandinavian country has tried unsuccessfully to contain the rise in crimes linked to these networks, which mainly operate in controlling the drug market.
"The number of alleged crimes involving minors under 15 has doubled in 10 years. Suspects in fatal shootings are getting younger and younger," stated the right-wing coalition government and its partner, the Sweden Democrats, in an article published by the newspaper Expressen. "This trend must be stopped," they added.
El Gobierno sueco.
According to their statements, teenagers are recruited through encrypted apps, which allow them to commit crimes in exchange for money, making it difficult to identify those responsible and taking advantage of the fact that, due to their age, minors do not face lengthy prison sentences.
"We have agreed to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 13 for certain serious crimes, such as murder and attacks with explosives," the Government said, specifying that the measure will be in effect for a limited period of five years. However, it has not yet been specified when it will begin to apply.
Policía sueca.
After years of mass illegal immigration, Sweden has become a country where there are almost daily scenes of shootings and attacks with homemade explosive devices, which sometimes kill innocent people, something that did not happen a few years ago.
The right-wing Swedish government also detailed other measures adopted or in process to combat juvenile crime. These include the creation of special penitentiary centers for minors, replacing the current system of youth homes; the elimination of more lenient sentences for minors; and authorizing the police to apply coercive measures in order to identify the masterminds behind the crimes.
