Shootings in Stockholm on the rise

STOCKHOLM, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The number of fatal shootings nearly doubled in the Swedish capital Stockholm in 2017 compared to last year, according to new figures released by police on Thursday.

Up until mid-December, in Stockholm alone, 18 people were killed in shootings in 2017, compared to 10 people in 2016. In Sweden, 40 people had been shot dead, which has seen a total of 306 shootings so far this year.

"Today, they are shooting more indiscriminately, using three gun magazines instead of three bullets," Patrik Hertzman, chief forensic investigator and weapons investigator at Sweden's National Forensic Center, told news agency TT.

Meanwhile, in the western police region, which includes Sweden's second largest city Gothenburg, the number of shootings has gone down. So far this year, four people were shot to death in connection with 36 shootings. In comparison, in 2016, six people were killed by gun fire in the region.

Police measures to tackle gun crime have included targeting criminal gangs, cooperating with the Gothenburg city authorities, and conducting dialogues with residents in areas plagued by shootings, reported Swedish Television.

"We do not just deal with crimes that lead to long prison sentences but also with those that perhaps involve a two-month prison sentence," said Emmelie Kullmyr, deputy police chief in Greater Gothenburg, to Swedish Television. Enditem