Advertisement

Sweden to invest 300 million kronor in school security after mass shooting

AFP/The Local
AFP/The Local - news@thelocal.se
Sweden to invest 300 million kronor in school security after mass shooting
Education minister Johan Pehrson at a press conference on Thursday. Photo: Pontus Lundahl/TT

Sweden's government said on Thursday that it would be putting aside 300 million kronor for school security measures, following the country's worst mass shooting at an education centre last month.

On February 4th, 35-year-old Rickard Andersson entered the Campus Risbergska adult education centre in the city of Örebro and shot dead 10 people before turning his gun on himself.

"In the beginning of February this year, the worst mass shooting in Swedish modern history occurred," Education Minister Johan Pehrson told a press conference.

What should have been a "place for knowledge and future opportunities became an unfathomable crime scene", Pehrson said.

He noted that reports of threats and violence at Swedish schools had increased by over 150 percent over the last 10 years.

"Safety in Swedish schools has unfortunately deteriorated over time. More and more students and teachers go to school with a great deal of anxiety," he added.

Advertisement

Pehrson said the government would introduce "grants for security-enhancing measures totalling 300 million kronor", primarily for cameras or security checkpoints.

The government also said it would be presenting a bill to parliament that would introduce a requirement for schools to have "an emergency plan and ongoing preparedness work".

The proposal, which would also give schools the right to search students' bags, was first presented the week after the Risbergska shooting.

Police have struggled to pin down a motive for the mass killing, saying they were looking into the shooter's living situation after describing him as an unemployed recluse.

Police say he had no previous criminal record, and had a hunting licence for four guns.

They have not publicly identified the victims but their foreign backgrounds soon came to light when their names and photos were published in Swedish newspapers and on social media, sparking concern among the country's immigrants.

More

Comments (2)

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at news@thelocal.se.
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

All comments 2
Sort by
ML
I'm begging Sweden not to turn into the US, as someone from the US seeing these kinds of things happen way too often. As Eric mentions too, let's make sure that the guns that are actually allowed for hunting really make sense.
Anonymous
Perhaps the allowance of AR style weapons for 'hunting' should be looked at. Coming from the US, allowing high capacity magazines and weapons that cycle as effectively as semi-automatic carbines is a massive reason for this. Easy, cost effective way to bring violence down.

See Also