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CRIME

41 sex buyers arrested in Stockholm prostitution sting

Dozens of people were arrested as part of a major crackdown on sex buyers in Stockholm.

41 sex buyers arrested in Stockholm prostitution sting
One of the brothels was found on the Götgatan street in Stockholm. Photo: Bertil Ericson/TT

Police hit three different addresses in Stockholm a few weeks ago, including the Götgatan street on hipster island Södermalm, Swedish public radio news broadcaster Ekot reported on Tuesday morning.

A total of 41 men were held in the operation, according to Ekot.

The raids targeted temporary apartment brothels, which police say are becoming more common.

“What was previously associated with prostitution, such as street prostitution, has been sharply reduced. The prostitution scene has moved indoors, to AirBnB apartments, hotels and the like,” Johan Christiansson, prostitution and human trafficking investigator at Sweden’s Gender Equality Agency, told Ekot.

Almost all the men were brought to court via a new fast-track system which means that a court hearing can be scheduled at the point of arrest, and a few are still being investigated by a prosecutor.

Last year around 50 men in Stockholm county were convicted of buying or attempting to buy sexual services.

Sweden became the first country in the world to criminalize buying sex, rather than selling sex, in 1999. Anyone found guilty of buying sex can be fined or sent to jail for up to a year.

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CRIME

Suspects held after 38-year-old shot dead on Södermalm in Stockholm

Several people are being held after a man in his 40s was shot dead in Stockholm's Södermalm district.

Suspects held after 38-year-old shot dead on Södermalm in Stockholm

The shooting happened at around 6.20pm on Monday evening and a huge police operation was immediately launched.

Police cordoned off the area around Helgalunden on Allhelgonagatan, which is close to the busy Götgatan street, Skanstull metro station and the Internationella Engelska Gymnasiet high school.

Sweden’s public broadcaster SVT reports that the victim is a 38-year-old man with links to gang crime, although police said it was too early to say whether the shooting was connected to a gang conflict.

Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet reports that one of the suspects is a man in his 20s, with a police record of a series of minor offences but no violent crime convictions. Police said there were other people in custody too, but declined to say what they were suspected of.

Roughly where the man was shot. Screenshot: Google Maps

The shooting happened in front of several witnesses.

“I live 50 metres from the scene and ran downstairs with a blanket and first aid kit. It was nice seeing so many people already there trying to save a life,” a witness told SVT.

“This happened in the middle of the day near the metro where there are a lot of people. This is otherwise a safe area. At the same time, it’s sad no matter where shootings happen.”

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