This report described the approaches against organized crime in Denmark and Sweden. It focused in particular on the impacts and effectiveness of selected programs, projects and measures. The report was carried out in the “Tackling Organized Crime: Viewpoints on Nordic Policies and Practices (TOC24)" project, funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers.
The key materials were collected from open sources and consisted of research literature and official documents. In addition, observations made during study visits to the target countries and statistical data on organized crime were used.
Due to their fresh and diverse content, the new strategic programs of Denmark and Sweden against organized crime can be considered as good examples for other countries. The features of harder criminal policy in Denmark have also been eagerly adopted in Sweden. Measures to combat organized crime also include a wide range of support and protection measures for different target groups.
The literature review found little evidence of the effectiveness of different measures based on strong set-ups. However, promising observations were related to the following measures: The Youth Crime Board intended for juveniles in Denmark, the joint operation Tore 2 against parallel society in Sweden, increased police presence in vulnerable areas, use of surveillance cameras, allocating resources and targeting measures into a specific problem as well as organizing exit work at the national level.
The authorities had promising experiences of a wide range of measures. In Denmark these measures concerned harsher penalties, restriction of criminal gangs' operations, multi-authority cooperation, criminal investigations, witness protection, improving prison safety, and support for exiting criminal groups. In Sweden promising results pertained e.g., diverse cooperation and exchange of information between the authorities, the integrity of register data, work targeted at key criminal actors, curbing the criminal economy as well as protecting children, young people, and persons in a vulnerable position.
Based on the project material, the key target areas in the fight against organized crime were identified. They concerned children and young people, weapons and violence, criminal economy and the international dimension. Cross-cutting perspectives in these target areas are related to the knowledge base, the prerequisites for the activities of the authorities, cooperation, the selection of measures, technology, trust and key rights.