January has been a record-breaking month for explosions in Sweden, with more than one a day on average, police said at a snap press conference held on Wednesday.
The number of young people involved in these incidents has increased dramatically, not least when it comes to children under the age of 15, the age of criminal responsibility in Sweden.
In the press conference on Wednesday Hampus Nygårds, the deputy head of NOA, the Swedish Police's National Operations Department, warned parents to pay attention to changes in their child's behaviour.
"Look into what kind of activity is occurring in the digital arena. What's happening? Does the young person – child – have more money, more cash, more technology?"
"We need to make sure they're not pulled into the shit we're seeing taking place at the moment."
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He said that despite police having arrested 50 individuals in 25 different types of cases – including people carrying out the bombings, bomb makers, and leading criminal figures abroad – the violence was not slowing down.
Several of the latest spate of incidents are believed to be linked to the blackmailing of business owners rather than conflicts between gangs.
The police list a range of warning signals on their website for parents to look out for, for example if their child appears to be hiding something, has new clothes or a new phone, or even if they stop asking for money.
According to Stockholm's deputy regional police chief Tobias Bergkvist, the police cannot stop the recruitment of young people alone.
"We need society as a whole to mobilise. Authorities, social services, private individuals, associations, charities all have different abilities and it's important to be aware of that," he said.
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