Tuesday 15 November 2016

Ygeman condemns murders in Malmö - want the EU to buy up the possible murder weapons in the Balkans

Interior Minister Anders Ygeman (S) is concerned about the mordvåg who now washes over Malmo and want to find ways to reduce access to firearms. "One way would be to Europe buying up and scrapping the weapons that are in operation in the Balkans," he says.

Anders Ygeman see it as a worrying development that Malmö so far this year has suffered eleven murders and attempted murders thirty.
- We see murders over time has been reduced, but the deadly violence with firearms has increased. Murder is a crime which by its nature is irrevocable. And the police also act then, he says.

"The important thing is that the police can handle the crimes occurred and prevent new crimes," says Anders Ygeman who believe that the best way to prevent new murders is to strangle the flow of firearms.
Photo: Mats Roslund
According to Anders Ygeman be Swedish society never accept that killings and deadly violence becomes a part of everyday life. Therefore, the police and the community in general always react strongly to such crimes.
- In order to solve the killing, we also reduce the ability to perform them. We must come to the availability of firearms and to reduce the influx of new firearms to Sweden, he says.
Anders Ygeman recalls that the government recently signed an agreement with Serbia and Moldova to choke the flow of pistols, revolvers and other weapons from there. But according Ygeman it is not enough with this kind of bilateral agreement to reduce the number of firearms in Sweden and other EU countries.
- I also believe that the EU should buy up and scrap the weapons that are in operation in the Balkans. There are more than four million firearms are in operation there. The EU must co-finance the purchases of surplus weapons that are there.
According to Anders Ygeman such a measure would be implemented in the same way as the gun amnesty is going on in Sweden in 2018. For a small sum, the EU can buy weapons handed over to special weapons collector.
According to the Interior Minister, it is important that the EU in this case not only to issue a weapons amnesty for Slovenia, Croatia and Bulgaria, three Balkan countries that are already members of the EU, but that the amnesty also covers the candidate countries Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
- It is necessary that such an amnesty to take effect. We have seen in various murder investigations in Sweden that both weapons and grenades coming from the Balkans, he said.
Anders Ygeman says he has already discussed this kind of amnesty with colleagues from other EU countries. He also broached it with senior officials in the European Commission.
- I intend to proceed with the proposal and submit a more thought-out idea, says Anders Ygeman.

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