Only half of Sweden's 290 municipalities offer targeted support to all victims of crime, regardless of the crime, according to a new survey conducted by the Crime Victim Authority.
The investigation also shows that the support that exists has clear deficiencies and varies in different parts of the country.
"It can strongly be questioned whether the support for victims of crime in practice meets the requirements of the legislation," says Anders Alenskär, Director-General of the Crime Victim Authority, in a press release.
The Crime Victim Authority's survey of the support provided by various public and civil actors to victims of crime reveals a lack of coordination between different actors. The Authority has now submitted proposals on how the coordination responsibility should be divided among three different levels and actors.
The proposal means that the Crime Victim Authority will be responsible for coordinating victim support at the national, strategic level. The County Administrative Boards will have a coordination responsibility at the regional level, and the municipalities will be responsible for local operational coordination.
"The report on the assignment confirms that there are several deficiencies in today's system, and constitutes an important basis for the government's continued work on shifting the perspective from perpetrator to victim, and for strengthening support for those who have been victims of crime," says Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer (M) in a statement to TT.
