Public place violence in Stockholm City: trend, patterns and new police tactics

Abstract

This descriptive study examines patterns of and trends in violence in public places in Stockholm City, with a focus on offender residential status, repeat offending and the trend in serious violence. The data are taken from official registers of police-reported assault offences in Stockholm City. The findings indicate that public-place violence is for the most part committed by individuals who themselves do not live in the urban core district. Nearly half of the perpetrators have also been victims of violence in public places in Stockholm, and there was a considerable element of repeat offending. As regards the trend since 2001, the total level of reported violence in the public places in Stockholm City has increased. However, serious violence decreased by 30–40% between 2001–2002 and 2011–2012. The findings thus appear to be roughly consistent with the crime drop hypothesis. The results are discussed in relation to situational crime prevention, particularly since new methods of situational ‘hot spots’ policing were adopted in 2006. It is suggested that the trends may reflect situational policing strategies, both in terms of a lessening of the dark figure of violent crime and in terms of the prevention of serious forms of violent offences.