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År 2024 infördes i polislagen nya regler om säkerhetszoner, som i brottsförebyggande syfte ger polisen utökade möjligheter till tvångsmedelsanvändning – i form av kroppsvisitationer och genomsökningar av transportmedel – i geografiskt avgränsade områden. I denna artikel undersöks dels 40 polisers initiala uppfattningar om dessa bestämmelser om säkerhetszoner, dels innehållet i bestämmelserna både såvitt avser upprättande av säkerhetszoner och tvångsmedelsanvändning i dessa zoner. Undersökningen visar att nästan alla tillfrågade poliser anser att de inte har tillräcklig kunskap om de nya reglerna om säkerhetszoner. Beträffande gällande rätt visar undersökningen att den nya regleringen innehåller en del vaga begrepp, att det kan diskuteras om den är förenlig med artikel 8 i Europakonventionen och att det sedan tidigare finns andra bestämmelser i polislagen som ger relativt omfattande möjligheter till användning av tvångsmedel av den typ som brukas i säkerhetszoner. I artikeln argumenteras för ett införande av enhetliga risknivåer i tvångsmedelslagstiftning med ett brottsförebyggande syfte.

The increasing prevalence of threats and violence against ambulance clinicians is a critical issue that has not been adequately studied. These incidents pose significant challenges to the provision of prehospital emergency care, affecting both the safety and well-being of the clinicians involved. This study aimed to explore the experiences of Swedish ambulance clinicians when encountering threats and violence during their work. A qualitative approach was used, involving semi-structured interviews with 11 ambulance clinicians from various regions of Sweden. The participants were selected to ensure diversity in gender, age, and educational background. The data were collected over three weeks in 2021 and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The analysis revealed three key categories related to the challenges faced by ambulance clinicians: Police cooperation challenges, Strategies for a safe care environment, and Impact during and relief after stressful events. These categories highlight the complexities of managing threats and violence in the field. This study sheds light on the multifaceted challenges that ambulance clinicians face due to threats and violence. It underscores the urgent need for comprehensive training, effective communication, and clear role allocation in complex situations. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of organized support systems to help clinicians cope with the aftermath of stressful events.

This qualitative thematic study aimed to examine the placement of unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors in compulsory institutional care in Sweden, to expand knowledge regarding their care and treatment. The dataset comprised official documents and anonymized journal documents from personnel detailing the experiences of twenty-five unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors in compulsory institutional care organized by the Swedish National Board of Institutional Care in 2015. The study identified three main themes: traumatic life events and mental health, alignment between needs, goals, and treatment, and language difficulties. The findings revealed a high prevalence of severe traumatic experiences among the asylum-seeking minors, with half having endured significant psychological and physical trauma. Mental health issues were inconsistently addressed, and prior traumas were often overlooked in care planning. The majority exhibited various mental health problems, underscoring the need for tailored interventions. The study highlights challenges in aligning unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors' individual needs, treatment goals, and provided care. Language barriers emerged as a critical concern, impeding effective communication and treatment. Approximately 80% of the asylum-seeking minors experienced difficulties in understanding and expressing themselves in Swedish. The limited use of professional interpreters further exacerbated this issue. The study underscores the need for targeted interventions to better support unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors within compulsory institutional settings.

Digital media, especially social media, enable the police to get closer to the citizen to maintain or create safety. Today, the Swedish Police Authority has 264 verified digital media accounts on social media like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, as well as 4 podcasts. However, in the Swedish basic training program for police officers (offered at five universities) there is little or no training in how the police should use and communicate on digital media. 

The purpose of the study was to analyze how Swedish police students talk about and reflect on the Swedish Police Authority's use of digital media and how it can be used to Create the Sense of Safety in society. Creating the Sense of Safety is our translation of [Trygghetsskapande], which is a Swedish governmental term that e.g., the Swedish Police Authority use as a “tool” in their work. 

This qualitative study builds on eight digital extensive semi-structured interviews with police students from Umeå University and Södertörn University. 

The preliminary research findings in this study show; 1) the reason why the Swedish Police Authority needs to use social media and police students’ choice of social media platforms; 2) how police students reflect on social media and in what ways it can be beneficial in their work-life; 3) if and how the popular Swedish police tv series “Tunna blå linjen” has affected their view of their police training and their future role as a police officer; 4) the police students’ view on what kind of social media content that communicates a sense of safety for the public. Together these results provide important insights into police students’ perspective on Creating the Sense of Safety, digital media, and how they are interconnected. More in-depth results will be presented at the conference. 

BACKGROUND: From an international perspective, recent years have seen an increase in the use of conducted energy weapons (CEWs), which are used to control potentially dangerous and uncooperative people. In 2019 the Norwegian National Police Directorate launched a two-year trial of CEWs in daily police work.

AIM: The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the National Police Directorate’s CEW trial and to explore the public’s perceptions of police use of CEWs.

METHODS: The evaluation was designed as a cohort study with a participant and a control group. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Measurements before, during, and towards the end of the trial activity were carried out. Two groups of police officers answered the survey: those who were part of the trial activities with CEWs and those who were not part of the trial activities. To deepen our understanding, we conducted in-depth interviews with police officers who had experience with CEWs. To examine legitimacy aspects from a citizen perspective, we conducted a survey with citizens on three occasions. We also conducted individual interviews with citizens and representatives of interest groups to deepen and complement the survey results.

RESULTS: The current study found that CEWs are mainly used against individuals who are mentally unstable and exhibit aggressive and dangerous behaviour. The findings showed that CEWs fill the gap between pepper spray or batons and firearms and complement other forcible means. The findings from the interviews showed that the officers could resolve the situations before the introduction of CEWs, but with CEWs they could do so with less intrusive force and a lower risk of injury. According to the interviews, the officers felt safer mostly because CEWs gave them the opportunity to intervene without discharging their firearms. The survey revealed no significant differences between the study and control groups or between different timepoints regarding threats to the police or injuries for the police or the counterpart, while the findings from the interviews showed that the police officers perceived a CEW-related decrease in the risk of injuries for both the police and their counterparts. Informants were unanimous that CEWs were effective, but that there were factors to be aware of when using CEWs, such as thick clothes and a moving target. More than 90% of CEW situations during the two-year trial involved male officers, and among subjects exposed to CEWs from the police, fewer than 10% were women. The citizen survey results indicate that citizens believe police officers can be trusted with decisions related to the use of force. The survey also showed that citizens who had received some information on CEWs were significantly more positive towards CEWs than those who had no information. Further, the group with information on CEWs also stated that they would feel more secure if police in their vicinity were equipped with CEWs. 

CONCLUSIONS: CEWs do not seem to affect the Norwegian police’s total use of force. However, CEWs can decrease the use of other forcible means, especially pepper spray. The findings indicate that CEWs can replace the use of firearms under certain circumstances, although they do not replace firearms as a means of force. CEWs do not seem to affect injuries among police officers and counterparts, although findings from the police interviews indicate a lower risk of major injuries and lethal force. The introduction of CEWs does not seem to have a substantial effect on public perceptions of the police and public confidence in the police. Members of the public trust that the police are well-trained and competent in making decisions regarding the use of CEWs. 

BAKGRUND: Ur ett internationellt perspektiv har det, inom polisen, under de senaste åren skett en ökning i använ­dandet av mindre dödliga vapen. Dessa vapen används för att ta kontroll över potentiellt farliga och icke samarbetsvilliga personer. Ett vanligt förekommande mindre dödligt vapen är elchockvapen (ECV). Elchockvapen har fram till 2018 inte använts i Sverige, men Polismyndigheten har under åren 2018–2019 genomfört en försöksverksamhet med ECV.

SYFTE: Syftet med undersökningen var att utvärdera Polismyndighetens försöksverksamhet med ECV, samt att undersöka vilken legitimitet polisens användning av ECV har bland allmänheten.

METOD: Både kvantitativa och kvalitativa data samlades in för att utvärdera försöket med ECV. Mätningar före, under, och i slutet av försöksverksamheten genomfördes med hjälp av en enkät. Enkäten besvarades av två grupper av poliser; en grupp som ingick i försöksverksamheten med ECV samt en kontrollgrupp poliser som inte ingick i försöksverksamheten. För att fördjupa förståelsen för enkätresultaten genom­fördes djupintervjuer och fokusgruppsintervjuer med poliser som hade erfarenhet av ECV under för­söksverksamheten. För att undersöka legitimitetsaspekter utifrån ett medborgarperspektiv genomför­des fokusgrupper med deltagare från allmänheten. Data från Polisens arbetsskadesystem LISA inhämtades för att undersöka ECV:s inverkan på skador hos poliserna.

RESULTAT: Enkätresultaten visade inga skillnader mellan delaktiga och kontrollgrupp när det gäller upplevelse av stressfulla situationer. Upplevelsen av trygghet vid ingripanden med hög grad av motstånd eller när polisen blir fysisk angripen har dock ökat för de poliser som deltagit i ECV­försöket, jämfört med kon­trollgruppen. Intervjuresultaten åskådliggör också att tillgången till ECV bidrar till att minska upplevel­sen av stress i våldsamma situationer genom att ECV ökar tryggheten i sådana situationer. Intervjure­sultaten påvisar även att tillgången till ECV gör att man slipper använda andra potentiellt skadligare våldshjälpmedel såsom fysiska metoder och skjutvapen. Enkätresultatet visar ingen skillnad mellan de som ingick i försöksverksamheten och kontrollgruppen när det gäller att utsättas för hot, våld eller motstånd, eller att polis eller motpart blir skadade. Resultaten från intervjuer och fokusgrupper syn­liggör att poliserna upplever att ECV fyller en viktig funktion. Poliserna ser enbart fördelar med ECV och vissa menar att det är det bästa verktyg som de har fått. ECV upplevs kunna rädda liv, minska skad­or på polis och motpart, samt förbättra arbetsmiljön för poliser. Intervjuer och fokusgrupper pekar på att deltagarna upplever att ECV har en de­eskalerande inverkan, vilket både kan minska våldsanvänd­ningen, och förebygga våld mot polisen. Enkät­ och intervjuresultaten indikerar att ECV bidrar till en minskad användning av andra hjälpmedel såsom batong och pepparspray, vilka ofta ger mer skador på både motpart och polis. Deltagarna från allmänheten har uppfattningen att ECV är ett effektivt och bra verktyg för polisen, men lyfter vikten av att det finns en lyhördhet gällande vilka situationer som den används i och mot vem.

SLUTSATSER: Utifrån våra enkätresultat är det svårt att dra några säkra slutsatser kring hur användandet av ECV in­verkar på skador hos poliser och motpart. Erfarenheterna bland de delaktiga är dock att risken för våld och skador minskar markant, vilket är en viktig indikator. Tillgången till ECV kan öka trygghet och minska stress i ingripandesituationer där kraftigt motstånd och våld förekommer. ECV kan även mins­ka användandet av pepparspray och batong, och det finns indikationer på att ECV har använts istället för skjutvapen. ECV kan underlätta val av hjälpmedel vid ingripanden med hög grad av hot och våld och kan ha en de­eskalerande inverkan. Polisens användande av våldshjälpmedel, inklusive ECV, upp­levs berättigat av informanterna från allmänheten. 

BACKGROUND: Less-­lethal weapons are often used when police officers deal with uncooperative and potentially dan­gerous persons. In recent years there has been growing international consensus regarding the useful­ness of less lethal weapons, such as conducted electrical weapons (CEWs). In 2018 the Swedish Police Authority launched a two­year trial of CEWs in Sweden.

AIM: The current study aims to evaluate the Police Authority's CEW trial, and to explore the public's point of view about the legitimacy of the police’s use of CEW.

METHODS: The study includes a quantitative survey and qualitative data. The survey data was collected at three time points; before, during, and at the end of the trial. Survey data was collected from two groups of police officers; one group that participated in the CEW trial and one control group that was not part of the trial. To increase the understanding of the survey results, in­depth interviews and focus group in­terviews were conducted with police officers who had experience of using CEW during the trial. To understand more about the citizens' perspective on different aspects of CEW legitimacy, focus group interviews were conducted with a convenient sample of the public. Data from the Police work injury system (LISA) was also collected to investigate the CEW’s impact on police officers' injuries.

RESULTS: Results from the survey showed no differences between CEW and the control group in experiencing stress in certain given situations. Compared to the control group, the police officers in the CEW group experienced a greater sense of safety in situations that involve a high degree of resistance and/or phys­ical attacks. Similarly, the findings from the interviews showed that having access to CEW reduced stress in violent situations by boosting police officers' sense of safety. The interview results revealed that CEW contributes to police officers limiting the use of other potentially harmful means of violence, such as physical methods and firearms. In the survey, no difference was found between the CEW group and the control group in exposure to threat, violence, and resistance, as well as injuries to police officers or counterpart. The interviewees considered the CEW to be an important tool and saw only benefits with it. They believed it could save lives, reduce injuries to both police officers and counterparts, and improve their working environment. Findings from both quantitative and qualitative data confirm the positive effect of CEW through its contribution to lesser use of violence, for example in the reduction in the use of baton and pepper spray, which often cause more injuries. Participants from the public express that CEW is an effective and useful tool for the police, but emphasizes the importance of an awareness regarding the situations in which it is used in and towards whom.

CONCLUSIONS: Based on the survey results, it is difficult to draw any definite conclusions about how and to what extent using CEW is associated with less injuries among police officers and counterparts. However, the inter­view results indicate that police officers experience a decreased risk of violence and thus, injuries. Ac­cess to CEW can increase the sense of safety in situations involving violence and strong resistance, which consequently reduces stress. CEW can also reduce the use of pepper spray, baton, and to some extent firearms. The CEW is perceived to have a de­escalating effect and can facilitate the process of decision making in relation to which tool to be used in police interventions with a high degree of threat and violence. Participants from the public perceived that the use of violence by the police, including the use of CEW, is in general justifiable. 

Mass casualty incidents (MCI) in tunnels can result in devastating consequences. Despite this, there is a knowledge gap in the perspectives and experiences of strategic stakeholders in relation to the emergency medical response to MCI in tunnels. This study aims to explore and describe this issue. The study includes 11 interview participants from the emergency services organisations and governmental and municipal organisations in Sweden. The results indicate that the medical perspective is inadequately represented at a strategic level due, among other, to limited input from emergency medical representatives during planning stages and a lack of social networks. The results implicate a need to create and improve networks among the stakeholders from the involved organisations. Emergency medical personnel should not only be acknowledged for their expertise but should also be included to a greater extent in the planning stages and exercises. Medical and rescue personnel need time to jointly discuss how they, in the best way, can save lives in tunnel MCIs.

Rationale: There is a lack of long-term follow-up studies focused on injured and uninjured survivors’ experiences of the recovery process after major traffic crashes.

Aim/objective: To explore survivors’ experiences of long-term physical and psychological consequences and recovery five years after a major bus crash.

Methodological design and justification: A qualitative design was used to explore experiences in a 5-year follow-up study.

Research methods: Participants were 54 survivors of a bus crash with 56 survivors and six fatalities. Telephone interviews were analyzed with qualitative content analysis.

Results: The theme overarching the categories is “visible and existential marks in everyday life” and it represents the range of the crash’s influence in the survivors’ lives. The first category, “health consequences in daily life,” has four subcategories covering quick recovery, suffering in daily life, distress in traffic situations, and long-term pain. Described reasons for quick recovery among survivors were previous crisis experiences, traveling alone, being uninjured, and not being exposed to traumatic impressions. For the other survivors, being reminded of the crash caused disturbing reactions, such as sweating, anxiety, and flashbacks. Survivors avoided going by bus if they could. A group of the injured survivors were still suffering from limiting and painful injuries. The second category, “oneself and social connection,” has three subcategories that include self-awareness, impact on relationships, and connectedness. Survivors developed a stronger bond to their significant other or separated from their partner within the first couple of years. Friendships and a sense of connectedness among survivors were sources of long-lasting comfort and support.

Conclusion: There is a need for more information about disruptive long-lasting consequences, such as travel anxiety, and available treatments. Initially, health-promoting connectedness can be facilitated by treating survivors as a group of people who belong together, from the day of the crash and throughout the recovery process. 

Objective The aim of this study was to explore physical and mental consequences and injury mechanisms among bus crash survivors to identify aspects that influence recovery. Methods The study participants were the total population of survivors (N=56) from a bus crash in Sweden. The study had a mixed-methods design that provided quantitative and qualitative data on injuries, mental well-being, and experiences. Results from descriptive statistics and qualitative thematic analysis were interpreted and integrated in a mixed-methods analysis. Results Among the survivors, 11 passengers (20%) sustained moderate to severe injuries, and the remaining 45 (80%) had minor or no physical injuries. Two-thirds of the survivors screened for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) risk were assessed, during the period of one to three months after the bus crash, as not being at-risk, and the remaining one-third were at-risk. The thematic analysis resulted in themes covering the consequences and varying aspects that affected the survivors' recoveries. The integrated findings are in the form of four core cases of survivors who represent a combination of characteristics: injury severity, mental well-being, social context, and other aspects hindering and facilitating recovery. Core case Avery represents a survivor who had minor or no injuries and who demonstrated a successful mental recovery. Core case Blair represents a survivor with moderate to severe injuries who experienced a successful mental recovery. Core case Casey represents a survivor who sustained minor injuries or no injuries in the crash but who was at-risk of developing PTSD. Core case Daryl represents a survivor who was at-risk of developing PTSD and who also sustained moderate to severe injuries in the crash. Conclusion The present study provides a multi-faceted understanding of mass-casualty incident (MCI) survivors (ie, having minor injuries does not always correspond to minimal risk for PTSD and moderate to severe injuries do not always correspond to increased risk for PTSD). Injury mitigation measures (eg, safer roadside material and anti-lacerative windows) would reduce the consequences of bus crashes. A well-educated rescue team and a compassionate and competent social environment will facilitate recovery.