Swedish Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer speaks during a press conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, August 21, 2024. REUTERS/Tom Little/ File Photo
STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden will increase spending on its justice system by 3.46 billion crowns ($335 million) in its budget bill for 2025 to curb high crime rates, the justice minister said on Wednesday.
Including earlier decided measures and other cost increases, the justice system budget will grow by 8 billion crowns or 10% year-on-year to 86.7 billion crowns in 2025.
Sweden has been rocked by gang violence, often involving minors, in the last decade and has the highest per-capita rate of gun violence in the European Union.
Justice Minister Gunnar Strommer told a news conference that while shootings associated with organised crime so far this year were fewer than the same period in 2023, there is a risk of new spirals of violence.
"Things are still bubbling under the surface," he said.
"We aim to restore security in Sweden for all honest citizens. This involves mainly three things: cracking down on serious violence, cutting off the criminal economy, and stopping the recruitment of children and young people into gangs".
Strommer said the government plans to boost spending on the justice system to 100 billion crowns in 2027 from 69 billion in 2023.
The centre-right government coalition, which relies on support from the far-right Sweden Democrats, is due to submit its budget bill for 2025 to parliament on Sept 19.
($1 = 10.3381 Swedish crowns)
(Reporting by Anna Ringstrom and Stine Jacobsen, editing by Kim Coghill)
