Framställningen av organiserad brottslighet i svenska lägesrapporter : En kvalitativ studie av Polismyndighetens lägesrapporter

Sammanfattning

Abstract This study analyzes how organized crime is portrayed in Swedish situation reports, primarily focusing on problem representations, causal explanations, allocation of responsibility, and legitimized solutions. The study’s main material consists of three situation reports published by the Swedish Police Authority: Situation Assessment of Vulnerable Areas - Government Assignment 2025, Situation Assessment of Active Criminals - Government Assignment 2024 and Situation Assessment of Active Criminals - Government Assignment 2025. The study is conducted using qualitative text analysis in combination with Deborah Stone’s theoretical framework of causal stories and narrative perspective. The results of the study highlight that organized crime is primarily portrayed as a societal and security problem in relation to vulnerable areas, criminal networks, actors, and parallel social structures. The situation reports present organized crime as a threat to social order and emphasize control-oriented measures. While factors such as segregation and socioeconomic conditions are included, these aspects are given limited attention in relation to the measures that are legitimized. Based on the study’s results and analysis, it is evident that the reports employ a technical language, which contributes to constructing organized crime as an objective and measurable problem. The findings further demonstrate that the narrative representations in the situation reports not only describe organized crime but also shape the understanding of the problem and influence which criminal policy measures are perceived as legitimate. From a democratic perspective, this draws attention to issues such as stigmatization, as well as public trust in authorities.