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Malmö police retract 'unfortunate' advice warning women not to go out alone after dark

TT/The Local
TT/The Local - [email protected]
Malmö police retract 'unfortunate' advice warning women not to go out alone after dark
The advice was 'unfortunate and unclear', Mats Karlsson from Malmö police said. Johan Nilsson/TT

Malmö police have retracted their advice to women not to go out alone after darkness, admitting it was 'unfortunate and unclear'.

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Local police had made a much-criticised public statement advising women not to go out alone after darkness following the brutal rape of a 17-year old girl in central Malmö at the weekend.

It the third rape attack in the city in around a month, and occurred after midnight when the victim was walking through a playground area. On Sunday, the police officer leading the investigation was widely quoted in Swedish media advising women only go out in pairs or as part of a group after darkness.

This morning Malmö police issued a formal statement retracting the officer Anders Nilsson's remarks as being "unfortunate and unclear".

READ ALSO: Malmö police chief asks for help

A Malmö police press spokesperson told The Local that the police firmly advocates that the "public live their lives as usual" and "not to give into fear". Much of the critique directed towards Nilsson's statement centred on it pushing responsibility on the public to stay safe, with critics pointing out the police are expected to keep the public safe.

Police are investigating this case along with two other recent rape attacks in Malmö but say there is no direct connection with those two crimes. There is no CCTV footage from the latest crime scene but police are working to see if they can recover CCTV footage from nearby streets. Forensic and mobile phone evidence has been secured and is currently being analysed.

READ ALSO: Fewer rape investigations are being solved in Sweden, new stats show

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