STOCKHOLM, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Sweden's new weapon legislation has helped the police to seize more weapons and people suspected of coarse firearm crimes, yet the number of related deaths has not decreased, the Swedish Television SVT reported on Monday.
Sweden introduced its new weapon legislation in January this year. Under the new law, an armed person is arrested automatically. During the first five months, 148 people have been arrested for coarse firearm crimes. Last year the corresponding number was 29 people.
"When criminals are arrested, they cannot commit new crimes. In addition, they also get longer sentences than before," detective Johan Gustafsson from the Swedish Police National Operative Department told SVT.
SVT reported that as the number of detainees increases, the number of shootings decreases from 180 last year (January to July 2017) to 138 this year (January to July 2018). Yet the number of related deaths has not followed the same trend: last year, 27 people were killed between January and July and this year 28 people have lost their lives during the same time period.
The aim of the new law is to reduce the number of shootings and murders related to criminal gangs. The police will also try to prevent and detain smuggling of weapons.
"There are too many weapons coming from abroad, and it needs to stop. Thanks to better intelligence and communication with other countries, we have managed to stop several major weapons deliveries," Johan Gustafsson told SVT.
