By Johan Ahlander
STOCKHOLM, Dec 30 (Reuters) - The number of shootings in Sweden has more than halved since hitting a peak in 2022, reflecting new policing approaches introduced by the right-wing government, which is readying for parliamentary elections next year.
Shooting incidents fell to 147 so far this year, a 63% decrease compared to 2022 when there were 390 shootings and a 49% decrease compared to 2024, according to a Reuters analysis of official figures.
The number of fatalities, however, was unchanged from last year at 43, though lower than the 62 killed in 2022.
The government won the 2022 election on a pledge to stop gang crime and drastically reduce immigration. It trails the opposition in opinion polls ahead of the next election in September, but the gap has narrowed.
Gang-related crime has been high in Sweden for more than two decades and, over that period, the amount of gun violence has risen to among the highest in Europe from among the lowest.
Among those killed this year, 11 died in a school shooting in February, which was not gang-related.
"New tools, resources and methods are starting to hit the criminal networks," Sweden's Minister of Justice Gunnar Strommer told Reuters, but said more needed to be done. "I want to remain humble. This is complicated and we still have levels of violence no decent society can accept."
Legislation that has drawn criticism from lawyers and some politicians has introduced changes such as anonymity for some court witnesses, increased electronic surveillance, tougher sentences and what are known as safety zones, where police can search people even if they are not suspected of any crime.
Johan Olsson, head of the Police National Operations Department, said the measures had allowed police to seize gangs' assets and become more efficient in preventing shootings.
"Where we don't see much success is stopping the recruitment to the gangs," he told Reuters, adding that much of the recruitment happened online.
Sweden has around 17,500 active gang members, according to police figures.
(Reporting by Johan Ahlander; editing by Barbara Lewis)
