Vulnerable area

An area in the vulnerable category is characterised by a low socioeconomic status; and criminals have a negative impact on society and public institutions. Criminals may use direct threats and blackmail or indirect methods such as public displays of violence which place bystanders at risk of injury or narcotics openly traded in public spaces. The effect of their activities is that inhabitants experience lower levels of security, which may make them less willing to participate or witness in judicial proceedings against criminals.[18]

A risk area fulfills all criteria for a vulnerable area and may become an especially vulnerable area if no interventions are put in.[18] In October 2021 these areas numbered 14.[7]

Inhabitants of these areas suffer a potential threat from criminals in the area, which has led to an overall disinclination to participate in judicial proceedings against criminals. In especially vulnerable areas there are systematic threats and violence against witnesses and victims or complainants. These circumstances make it very difficult or impossible for police organisations to complete their mission of law enforcement.[18] In December 2015 these areas numbered 15.[7] In June 2017 this had increased to 23 as some areas were reclassified primarily due to more refined information, not due to a changed situation.[5][19]

An especially vulnerable area also experience:[18]

• Parallel society structures exercising their own form of justice and control[3]
• Extremism such as systematic violations of freedom of religion or fundamentalism which circumscribe rights and freedoms of the population. According to Magnus Ranstorp in 2017, Salafi jihadism is present in some of these areas.[20] In the especially vulnerable areas there are individuals among the radical Islamic community who contribute to recruitment and financing of Islamic terrorism. These individuals have access to youth via lectures, study groups or as an imam. Some mosques located in or close to these areas may be a contributing factor to radicalisation.[21]
• inhabitants travelling to conflict areas to participate in combat
• a high concentration of criminals.

Employment levels in February 2017 were around 47%.[13] Many inhabitants are immigrants or children of immigrants;[13] in this category the proportion of immigrants in the district is around 50-60%.[22]

In its 2017, police stated that welfare fraud was prevalent in these areas, where benefits administered by Swedish Public Employment Service and the Swedish Social Insurance Agency were targeted.[23] Police identified that resident registry figures were manipulated, for instance 2% of all apartments in Rinkeby have between 10-30 persons registered as residents, which leads to an inflated number of people receiving welfare benefits.[23]

Education levels are lower than the general population in these areas, where 40% of the population has not completed primary education.[13][24] According to BRÅ statistics, persons with only primary education (Swedish: förgymnasial utbildning) are 5.7 times more likely to be registered for crime compared to persons with post secondary education (Swedish: eftergymnasial utbildning) [24] On average in 2017, less than half of 15-year-olds in Gothenburg especially vulnerable areas qualified for secondary education. In district Bergsjön, 69.8% of 15-year-olds of Bergsjöskolan left primary education without achieving grades in numeracy and literacy to enter secondary education, the number being 67.3% for the Sjumilaskolan school of Biskopsgården district in Gothenburg compared to the national average of 17.5%.[25] The results were lower compared to five years earlier and interpreted as a worsening trend by researcher Anders Trumberg at Örebro university.[25] A high share of preschool staff in vulnerable areas have lacking Swedish language skills.[26]