Published 21 November 2022 at 13.56
Domestic. The boy gang in Alvik seemed to engage in “bus streaks” – but it turned out to be much worse than that. Close cooperation between social services and the police led to five of the boys being taken into care according to the LVU.
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The police in Vällingby received signals in the fall of 2021 that 7-8 boys between the ages of 11 and 15 were behind disturbances in Alvik.
Instead of attending primary school lessons, they poured water on elderly people, knocked out coffee mugs for waiting on the subway and stole goods from shops.
– From the beginning it looked like it was about bus routes, soon there was information that the boys probably used drugs and participated in assaults, says Magnus Hagberg, head of preliminary investigations in Vällingby, on the police's website.
In order for the police to be able to start a preliminary investigation with minors, it must be proven that serious crime has been committed. Then a prosecutor can initiate a so-called LUL investigation, the law on special provisions for young offenders.
The turnaround came with a report that a child had been subjected to severe abuse that was filmed and spread online. The police identified a 14-year-old in the boy gang who was called for questioning as a witness. In his mobile phone there were photos and videos showing when the boy gang held weapons, portion-packaged and sold drugs. And when they themselves continuously used drugs and a boy vomited from taking too much. Based on the videos, the police registered around 170 suspected crimes.
– The boys' crime was much more serious and extensive than we knew. We must quickly get them off the street and break up the gang. Otherwise, crime would be more difficult to stop, says Magnus Hagberg.
One early morning before school started, the police searched the boys' addresses in Bromma, city and Söderort. Police seized cash, weapons and cell phones that contained identical photos and videos to the 14-year-old's phone. Evidence of the boys' involvement.
– It was obvious that the boys glorified gang criminals and wanted to be like them, says Magnus Hagberg.
Several of the boys had already been in contact with social services in their home municipalities, without this having resulted in a change. Therefore, the police chose, in consultation with a prosecutor, to release a large part of the preliminary investigation secrecy and compile a presentation of each boy, with photos, films he participated in and criminal suspicions.
The police invited a limited group of concerned officers and managers from social services to a meeting and showed the presentation.
– The atmosphere was shocked. The boys and their crimes didn't just become words on a piece of paper. Many of the social service representatives were parents, which certainly contributed to an increased empathy.
A case manager called his boss during the meeting, who made the decision to take one of the boys into direct custody. Within a week, five of the boys were taken into care according to the LVU.
– With good collaboration and close cooperation between the police, social services and prosecutors, we managed to break the boy gang's development towards gang crime, says Magnus Hagberg.