Responding to people in suicidal crisis is a significant part of the work of Swedish police patrol officers (PPOs). PPOs can prevent suicide and provide the person in crisis with support, but their presence can also have unintended effects, like escalation of the situation and stigma. The aim of this study was to describe PPOs’ experiences and actions when they encounter people in suicidal crisis. The study was performed with an inductive and descriptive qualitative design using the critical incident technique (CIT). A total of 26 PPOs were interviewed. Their experiences could be grouped under the main areas Navigating on the edge of chaos, The stakes are high and A split objective, and their actions under the main categories Striving for control, Pursuing adaptation and Engaging in collaboration. The results give us insights in the balancing acts PPOs perform when confronting people in suicidal crisis, as they must weigh providing safety and control against being present, adapting to suffering, and the specific needs of the situation and the individual.

This study aims to understand how police students perceive police social media communication in relation to their future roles as police officers. In today’s digital society, social media has become an essential communication tool for police authorities. These platforms enable them to engage with the public, share information about their activities, build trust, and promote public safety. This study is a small-scale case study, gathering empirical material from five semi-structured interviews and 15 written survey responses from police students. The findings of this small-scale case study demonstrate that while students acknowledge the importance of police presence on social media, they express concerns about the lack of formal training in this area. Many students feel unprepared to navigate the complexities of social media communication, particularly in relation to fostering public trust and safety. The article highlights the need to integrate social media communication skills into police training to ensure that future officers are equipped to effectively engage in digital spaces to foster public safety and security.

A persistent debate in police education concerns the academisation of police training and practice. Specifically, the bachelor’s thesis has highlighted the tension between theory and practice. This study explores how the thesis can promote systematic experiential learning and contribute toward providing critical insight into practice. It originates from a pedagogical pilot project at the Norwegian Police University College (NPUC), where the use of scientific essay (SE) was introduced. SE was chosen for its stronger emphasis on experiential learning than other thesis formats. Analysis of SEs and an open questionnaire generated three main themes in students’ learning processes: i) Students were motivated to write SE because they perceived themselves as non-academic; ii) A personal willingness to engage in emotional work and dialogue to foster understanding; and iii) Lessons learned fostered an expanded “police gaze”. These themes are discussed in light of research on police students’ learning and socialisation in practice, transformative learning theory, and theory of practical knowledge.

Background: Persons living with dementia (PLWD) are at an increased risk of going missing, with an elevated risk of harm. In Sweden, thousands of PLWD go missing annually, and the police are responsible for locating them. However, there is limited knowledge about the key factors that contribute to effective search efforts. Therefore, this study aimed to identify these key factors as expressed by police experts. Method: Using the Delphi technique, this exploratory study sought consensus among 43 Swedish police search experts over three rounds. The consensus was set at ≥70%. Results: Of the initial 73 items described by individual police experts, 53 reached consensus among the expert group. Five categories were identified: Information, Search Management, Search Tactics, Knowledge, and Collaboration. Discussion/conclusion: Limited situational awareness and lack of structure can hamper police search efforts when PLWD go missing. Knowing the person, critical partners, and the terrain all enhance search effectiveness.

Online romance fraud (ORF) is a complex form of cyber-enabled fraud, characterised by manipulative techniques and dynamics akin to those observed in domestic violence, coercive control, and intimate partner violence. In ORF, fraudsters employ persuasive strategies to build trust and establish fictitious relationships, subsequently exploiting victims financially and emotionally. This article examines ORF and identifies enabling factors, including risk and protective factors, that contribute to ORF. The analysis draws on findings from scholarly and grey literature and is guided by the social-ecological framework (Bronfenbrenner, 1979, 1986; Stokols, 1996, 2018) and routine activity theory (Cohen & Felson, 1979), both of which inform holistic crime prevention. The analysis highlights the multifaceted enabling factors and dynamics that influence ORF susceptibility and victimisation, particularly in the Nordic and Norwegian contexts. This article offers a holistic framework to address ORF and enhance crime-prevention strategies, conceptualising the phenomenon as a hybrid of cyber-enabled fraud and emotional and economic partner violence, thereby informing future research and practice.

The Istanbul Convention requires the police to have a robust system for effectively and systematically preventing repeat incidents of intimate partner violence (IPV) and for protecting the victim. Performing risk assessments is crucial to this end. Despite having had the risk assessment tool SARA:SV at their disposal since 2013, Norwegian police have not handled IPV cases as they are obliged to by the Convention. From 2022 onward the risk assessment should have been performed by a preventive risk analyst, but as this expertise is a scarce resource, the police system lacks robustness. Robustness may be achieved by using the capacity of frontline police officers. In that case, other risk assessment tools that are easier to score than SARA:SV should be made available, e.g., actuarial tools such as the Canadian ODARA or the Spanish VioGén system.

Focused deterrence-based strategies have been implemented in the United States since the mid-1990s, and the evidence base of their effect on serious crime is growing. Focused deterrence, also referred to as pulling levers, directs attention to the most violent members of a community, and conveys a clear message that violence will be met by swift and severe consequences and that those who want to leave criminality will receive help and support to do so. The strategy shifts focus from the victim to the perpetrator. The most violent, or those at risk of committing repeated crimes in a close relationship are identified and divided into groups (A–D) based on the severity of their crime. These individuals are informed that they are identified as (potential) perpetrators of violence in an intimate relationship and that future incidents of violence will be met with different types of sanctions. At the same time, support is offered to stop the violence, while support is also offered to the victim. This approach has been tried to prevent intimate partner violence to a limited extent before and is now being implemented in Malmö, Sweden. This paper will describe the initial phases of the process of implementing the strategy.

Lethal violence in intimate relationships is frequently preceded by less severe forms of abuse. In Sweden, the clearance rate for non-aggravated assault remains low, partly due to organisational goal conflicts within the police force. Consequently, the police face challenges in both resolving intimate partner violence (IPV) cases and preventing escalation into more serious violence. This study aims to advance understanding of the investigative process concerning IPV in Sweden and examine whether investigative measures differ depending on the relationship between victim and perpetrator – whether intimate, acquainted, or unfamiliar. The analysis draws on police investigations conducted in Stockholm between 2016 and 2021. Findings indicate that structural limitations, particularly victim non-cooperation, significantly constrain the investigation of non-aggravated IPV. This reluctance impacts the application of investigative measures and often leads to early case closures when prosecution appears unlikely. These results underscore the need for more effective strategies to enhance victim engagement and improve the overall investigative process in IPV cases.

People with speech, language, and communication needs (SLCN) frequently experience barriers in their meetings with the legal system, and equal access to justice is not yet a reality for them. One area for improvement seems to be police officers’ competence about SLCN and how to provide support for people with SLCN during investigative interviewing. In this study, eight Norwegian police officers participated in focus-group interviews to share their perspectives on using alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) when interviewing victims with SLCN. Participants highlighted the need for information about SLCN and AAC at all levels of the legal system, so that support needs of people with SLCN could be better understood and supported also beyond the context of the investigative interview. Moreover, findings indicate that participants were highly motivated to give a voice to people with SLCN so that they could be heard in the legal justice system. At a practical level, participants identified challenges with finding appropriate graphic symbols to support communication during the police interview, and they suggested building an expert network for police officers who conduct AAC-facilitated interviews.