Sweden has recorded a 63 percent reduction in shootings since a 2022 peak, following the implementation of expanded law enforcement powers aimed at dismantling criminal networks that were recruiting minors to carry out violent attacks.

According to reporting by The Telegraph, the country saw 390 shootings in 2022 amid a wave of gang-related violence. By 2025, that number had fallen to 147 incidents. Murder and manslaughter rates have also dropped to their lowest levels in nearly a decade, despite Sweden previously ranking among the highest in the European Union for gun-related deaths.

Authorities attributed much of the earlier violence to organized crime groups, including the Foxtrot Network, which allegedly recruited children as young as 12 through social media platforms to conduct contract killings. Swedish law at the time limited prosecution for offenders under 15, a threshold gangs were accused of exploiting.

In response, the Swedish government enacted new measures in 2024 granting police broader authority in high-risk areas. Officers were empowered to establish designated “safe zones” where they could conduct searches of individuals and vehicles without individualized suspicion. Surveillance authorities were also expanded, allowing monitoring of phones and internet activity of minors under 15 if suspected of involvement in serious criminal activity.

The government further lowered the age of criminal responsibility for serious offenses from 15 to 13.

Civil liberties advocates criticized the reforms, and U.N. officials reportedly described certain measures as excessive. Critics argued the enforcement strategy risked racial profiling because safe zones were concentrated in heavily migrant-populated neighborhoods. Law enforcement officials countered that those areas had been primary recruitment grounds for gangs.

Stockholm police official Carin Götblad told The Telegraph that many residents in affected communities supported the enhanced presence, citing safety concerns and trust in authorities.

The crackdown has also drawn international attention. In March 2025, the United States imposed sanctions on the Foxtrot Network over its alleged attempted attack on the Israeli embassy in Stockholm and claims that its leader, Rawa Majid, had cooperated with Iranian intelligence.

Swedish officials maintain that the expanded powers were necessary to restore order and curb the exploitation of minors by organized crime groups, pointing to the steep decline in shootings as evidence that the strategy has produced measurable results.