Out of Their Depth

We’ve featured a number of stories recently about the southern Swedish city of Malmö, in which nightly riots, arson, and general lawlessness have become the norm in immigrant sections of the city.

Now comes a report that the Malmö police are unable to manage the situation, and are admitting it: they simply don’t know what to do. The light of Multiculturalism has failed, and they have nothing to fall back on.

Our Swedish correspondent CB has translated an article on the topic from Sydsvenskan. First he offers his own commentary:

I don’t really know where to start.

The first time I read this I thought: “Well, who’s surprised at a police manager sounding like he’s straight out of the Muppet Show? And that is probably unfair to the Muppet Show”. Then, with some more understanding, one realizes that this is a desperate police manager hampered and crippled by political correctness taken to the extreme.

In what sane country do the police have to have stakeouts in holes? That should tell you everything you need to know! In what other country in the West is it regarded as an unattainable utopia for the police to be able to uphold law and order? Who, with all his wits about him will ever say that publicly?

And, Börje Andersson, you may dislike the question, but you and your merry band of work-hazards-focused police have yielded, surrendered, and given Rosengård over to thugs. I fully understand that is the workings of the political left that have insanely reduced the police in Sweden and restricted the remnants with political correctness.

This really makes me angry! I pay taxes for these clowns to protect me, my family, and country. Now he tells me and the rest of us: that’s a utopia, and the people who by all rights should show us gratitude for taking them into Sweden view it as their prerogative to smash the neighborhood while the police grovel at a distance. That’s too much!

In a sane world, the police uphold law and order. But, since this is Sweden — who shall do that now, when the police have abdicated? And, just out of curiosity, can anybody tell me why it was possible for the police to perform their work 30 years ago, but the same thing would be a utopia today? What changed in those years?

But, remember, the PC-talking heads might not like the truth…

And now for CB’s translation:

“We’re not able manage the problems”

By Tobias Barkman

It’s too dangerous for the police to enter Herrgården. Area police manager Börje Andersson says that the police can’t solve the problems in the housing area.

“When we are in there the stones are hailing, Molotov cocktails are flying, firecrackers and other stuff. From balconies and from rooftops. I have a responsibility to act, and at the same time I have a work environment responsibility, too. We can’t walk around in helmets, knee-protection, and shoulder pads all the time, in the daytime there.

“Herrgården is goddamn hard for us to work at. If we disguise ourselves, if we have holes where we can sit and investigate [i.e. surveillance], when we try to document, it’s uncovered all the time. Right away texting-chains get started about us being there.”

Can’t you be there to begin with — really, nobody starts a fire when they have the eyes of the police on them?

“In 2007 we were big on being on location in uniform. But at the present, when we work in uniform, rocks are coming from right and left. Therefore we try to work surveillance in another way.”

Do you maintain law and order in Herrgården?

“Almost fully. In certain situations we can’t fully maintain law and order. And certainly not initiate legal proceedings against people. Among other things, because we can’t get the inhabitants of Herrgården to witness. If we want something done, we have to catch people red-handed and that is very difficult to do. Thus, it’s hard to maintain law and order.”

Even if the fires aren’t life-threatening, people get smoke in their homes, they have to zigzag between burning tires. Why can’t the people of Herrgården count upon the same level of service as any other housing area in Malmö?

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“That’s a good question. I can’t give you a clear-as-a-bell answer to that. No more than that there is a foundational problem, as I try to call attention to in all forums, for politicians in the municipality and ministers, that Herrgården is a catastrophe. It demands totally different efforts than those of the police and emergency units. That being said, we can’t disclaim our responsibility.

You have described how earlier efforts against youth criminality haven’t helped — they are coming back. Doesn’t it now come down to keeping order, to be on location and perform surveillance?

“Well, in the best of worlds that would have been the best, but what you are talking about is a utopia.”

Because?

“Those resources naturally don’t exist. The day I can place a police officer in every street corner of Rosengård, 24 hours, seven days a week, that day will never come. It’s as simple as that.”

What kind of resources do you want?

“I can’t answer that. If I had 300 police officers I still could not solve this. Never. You must reach the source of the problem. See the societal responsibility.

“If I had police resources to place police 24 hours in every yard at Herrgården we might be able to solve this temporarily. But we would not solve the foundational problems.”

Wouldn’t it be good to have a temporary solution while waiting for the politicians to solve the problems?

“Sure. You pose the question and give the answers. But, sure. Under the conditions we work today we’re not able to manage the problems in Herrgården.”

You point at the structural problems, but at the same time is it not a question of resources that hinders the firemen from putting out burning tires, because they don’t get the protection of the police. Trailers are stolen in front of the eyes of policemen.

“In the specific cases I don’t know how it went down, but the foundational principle is that if there are police in place and someone steals a trailer, naturally the police should act. Then of course, tactically, in connection with an intervention one has to keep the work environment and other things in mind.”

You don’t book and it’s too dangerous for you to enter the area. Can you view it in any other fashion then that the stone throwers have won?

“You are talking like it’s a football game. I don’t like that. But you can write that the police have major concerns and problems in taking legal action and that is a failure for the police so far.”

Is there anything indicating that things won’t escalate?

“Absolutely nothing. It can be violent clashes tonight and turn to riots in Herrgården. Without a blink. And it can be dead calm for a fourth night. We just don’t know.”