It is not unusual for the citizens of Helsingborg to hear about the news or explore the internet about new crimes taking place in this city, which once seemed so safe. Recently the only thing we could hear was unexpected explosions in the middle of the night, or gunshots under the windows of our apartments so how can the residents of Helsingborg feel when they wake up to gunfire, flying police helicopters, and another murder that will probably never be solved?

Statistics from the Crime Prevention Council, BRÅ show that Helsingborg residents are most exposed to violence in Scania. What crimes are most common in this city and how much have the statistics increased?

Helsingborg is a city that was incorporated in 1085 and is part of the Scania region. In the statistics provided on the website (samuelssonsrapport.se, 2022-11-02), it is ranked fourth in terms of age, just after Lomma city.

Some even claim that Helsingborg is one of the most innovative cities in Europe.

After some research on the internet, after talking to the residents of Helsingborg and those who live near this city, one can easily conclude that Helsingborg, despite being a very charming city with a beautiful history, is not a city that anyone would recommend to settle with a family. ''Man killed in shooting'', ''An injured person is found outside'' - these types of headlines are currently the most common on Swedish news portals. Although we are members of a community group on Facebook created with Helsingborg's community in mind, we see posts like "Did you hear that explosion? I heard shots under my window" especially for women living in the city, because they are simply afraid to leave the house when it is already dark but has it always been this way?

Upphovsperson: Johan Nilsson/TT

Information was taken from an interesting article about the increase in crime in Helsingborg from 1996 to 2019 (newsworthy.se, 31 January 2019). After a brief analysis of the article, we can come to some conclusions that the pattern is the same when it comes to statistics. Reports of crime decrease annually, stagnate in five years and increase in fifteen years. But the most important information we should focus on is that the number of reported violent crimes per 100,000 inhabitants in the municipality of Helsingborg increased between 1996 and 2019, totaling over 1195 reported crimes. The interesting thing about this worrying fact is that it is over 28% of all notifications in the region of Scania. But which crimes are most common? If we look at the statistics (www.costabroad.com), we can state that the most common crimes committed in Helsingborg are residential and property robberies or car and car thefts. It is also worth mentioning that in Sweden the number of explosions of explosives planted in front of many residential buildings is increasing again. Police statistics show that the largest number of explosions - a whopping 133 took place in 2019. According to a criminologist from Malmö University Manne Gerell, the number of explosions depends, among other things, on conflicts in the criminal environment and accessibility. of explosives." It may seem that those who are not members of criminal gangs are at little risk of being injured or killed by stray bullets, but how do the citizens of Helsingborg feel when they wake up to gunfire, flying police helicopters and another murder that will probably never happen. is not a sign that we should do something to fight crime in our city?

Arkivbild Bild: Vidar Ruud, NTB, TT

A new solution that can improve the current crime situation is the function of an anonymous or Crown witness, which is currently unfortunately not allowed under Swedish law. The representatives of the Swedish Ministry of Justice, questioned by journalists, could only allow the introduction of a Crown witness who could not be 100% anonymous, which would expose him to some danger. This is why so many people who can and want to go to the police and report their involvement in a crime are afraid of not getting help. One of the advantages is that the sentence the Crown witness was sentenced to could be reduced by up to half of the sentence. Many believe that the government should strive to tighten the law when it comes to crimes in the area of, for example, drug trafficking, armed robbery. If nothing changes now and no measures are taken to tighten the law, crime will not only increase but also weigh on the public mood, which is already upset by today's situation as we can read in today's mass media.

All in all, many Helsingborg citizens are now in danger and we cannot hide this problem all the time. The constant crime, shootings and explosions in the streets is a serious problem and we must strive to solve it. Stats keep going up instead of down like they should. More and more new gangs and other criminal groups are forming on the streets of our city. A solution could be a Crown witness, but it doesn't have to be. Many other changes must be made in our society in order for the citizens of Helsingborg to feel safe again, but I believe that step by step we will manage to get it to happen.