Today in Sweden: A roundup of the latest news on Friday
Sweden reveals new crime prevention strategy for young people, intensive care beds fewer than before the pandemic, and suspect at large after escaping remand hearing. Here's the latest news.
Sweden reveals new crime prevention strategy for young people
Sweden's right-wing government on Thursday presented a new strategy to help prevent young people being drawn into a world of crime.
The strategy boils down to three "barriers", Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer told a press conference.
"Municipalities, public authorities and businesses. Everything has to be mobilised," he said.
The first barrier includes broad measures, such as encouraging parents to work and children to enjoy good schooling and meaningful leisure time, with schools working to prevent bullying and society tackling "destructive ideas of masculinity" and pro-criminal attitudes.
As part of the second barrier, the government wants to target youths who are particularly at risk. It wants the social services to become more proactive and offer support to families at an earlier stage, before having to use coercive measures such as taking children into care.
The third barrier would increase support for people who want to get out of a life of crime, for example offering them protection, relocation aid to move to a new town, support for those suffering from substance abuse, and helping them find work, education and a home.
There was no news at the press conference about how much funding the new strategy may get.
Swedish vocabulary: a barrier – en barriär
Sweden's ICU beds fewer than before the pandemic
There are now fewer intensive care beds in Sweden than before the Covid pandemic, reports the Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper.
The shortage is the worst in Stockholm.
"We need to increase the number of ICU beds in the region with 30 percent by 2030," Karolinska Hospital manager David Konrad told DN.
The main problem is a staff shortage, as there is enough money for the beds, but not staff. The term "bed" in this sense refers not only to the physical bed itself, but includes equipment and staff to oversee the patient, and is a term often used to talk about capacity in a hospital.
"We can't keep the beds open that we've budgeted for. We have 44 places in total, but have budgeted for 57," Kai Knudsen, chief physician at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg told DN.
Sweden was at the bottom of the table among comparable countries in terms of ICU beds before Covid hit, although it managed to temporarily scale up capacity during the pandemic. In 2019 there were 523 beds available – last year the number was down to 499. The decrease is even more radical in the long term: from 7.1 beds per 100,000 people in 2003, to 4.8 today.
Swedish vocabulary: a hospital bed – en vårdplats (in terms of capacity – or sjukhussäng in terms of the actual bed)
Fugitive wanted after escaping Swedish remand hearing
A man in his 30s is on the run after escaping after a remand hearing at the district court in Karlstad on Thursday.
He had been remanded for breaking Swedish laws on weapons possession and flammable and explosive goods, and was at the time of escaping dressed in green clothes from the Swedish Prison and Probation Service. He's described as slim and around 185 centimetres.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to call police at 114 14, or emergency number 112 if you spot the man.
Police were looking for him in Karlstad and on a train to Stockholm using drones, dogs and cars, but the active part of the search was stood down on Thursday evening. Police told Swedish media they would continue to search for him as part of their regular policing activities.
Swedish vocabulary: on the run – på rymmen
Make it easier for Swedish work permit holders to sue employers, new report argues
It should be easier for labour migrants to take dishonest employers to court, a new report by the Swedish Confederation for Professional Employees (TCO) argues.
TCO, an umbrella organisation for trade unions representing white collar workers in Sweden, in its report outlines two proposals to improve job security for work permit holders and increase their chances of staying in the country.
The first proposal is that work permit holders whose employers don’t follow those labour or salary conditions that the work permit was based on should be able to sue them for compensation.
The second proposal argues that work permit holders who take their employer to court for not living up to the conditions promised in the work permit application should be able to stay in Sweden during the court process, even if their permit has expired.
Swedish vocabulary: a labour migrant – en arbetskraftsinvandrare
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Sweden reveals new crime prevention strategy for young people
Sweden's right-wing government on Thursday presented a new strategy to help prevent young people being drawn into a world of crime.
The strategy boils down to three "barriers", Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer told a press conference.
"Municipalities, public authorities and businesses. Everything has to be mobilised," he said.
The first barrier includes broad measures, such as encouraging parents to work and children to enjoy good schooling and meaningful leisure time, with schools working to prevent bullying and society tackling "destructive ideas of masculinity" and pro-criminal attitudes.
As part of the second barrier, the government wants to target youths who are particularly at risk. It wants the social services to become more proactive and offer support to families at an earlier stage, before having to use coercive measures such as taking children into care.
The third barrier would increase support for people who want to get out of a life of crime, for example offering them protection, relocation aid to move to a new town, support for those suffering from substance abuse, and helping them find work, education and a home.
There was no news at the press conference about how much funding the new strategy may get.
Swedish vocabulary: a barrier – en barriär
Sweden's ICU beds fewer than before the pandemic
There are now fewer intensive care beds in Sweden than before the Covid pandemic, reports the Dagens Nyheter (DN) newspaper.
The shortage is the worst in Stockholm.
"We need to increase the number of ICU beds in the region with 30 percent by 2030," Karolinska Hospital manager David Konrad told DN.
The main problem is a staff shortage, as there is enough money for the beds, but not staff. The term "bed" in this sense refers not only to the physical bed itself, but includes equipment and staff to oversee the patient, and is a term often used to talk about capacity in a hospital.
"We can't keep the beds open that we've budgeted for. We have 44 places in total, but have budgeted for 57," Kai Knudsen, chief physician at the Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg told DN.
Sweden was at the bottom of the table among comparable countries in terms of ICU beds before Covid hit, although it managed to temporarily scale up capacity during the pandemic. In 2019 there were 523 beds available – last year the number was down to 499. The decrease is even more radical in the long term: from 7.1 beds per 100,000 people in 2003, to 4.8 today.
Swedish vocabulary: a hospital bed – en vårdplats (in terms of capacity – or sjukhussäng in terms of the actual bed)
Fugitive wanted after escaping Swedish remand hearing
A man in his 30s is on the run after escaping after a remand hearing at the district court in Karlstad on Thursday.
He had been remanded for breaking Swedish laws on weapons possession and flammable and explosive goods, and was at the time of escaping dressed in green clothes from the Swedish Prison and Probation Service. He's described as slim and around 185 centimetres.
Anyone with information about the incident is urged to call police at 114 14, or emergency number 112 if you spot the man.
Police were looking for him in Karlstad and on a train to Stockholm using drones, dogs and cars, but the active part of the search was stood down on Thursday evening. Police told Swedish media they would continue to search for him as part of their regular policing activities.
Swedish vocabulary: on the run – på rymmen
Make it easier for Swedish work permit holders to sue employers, new report argues
It should be easier for labour migrants to take dishonest employers to court, a new report by the Swedish Confederation for Professional Employees (TCO) argues.
TCO, an umbrella organisation for trade unions representing white collar workers in Sweden, in its report outlines two proposals to improve job security for work permit holders and increase their chances of staying in the country.
The first proposal is that work permit holders whose employers don’t follow those labour or salary conditions that the work permit was based on should be able to sue them for compensation.
The second proposal argues that work permit holders who take their employer to court for not living up to the conditions promised in the work permit application should be able to stay in Sweden during the court process, even if their permit has expired.
Swedish vocabulary: a labour migrant – en arbetskraftsinvandrare
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