Murder - Swedish Style

[Romulus]

The Danes' view of their northen neighbor(broken up for ease of reading):

http://cphpost.sites.itera.dk/default.asp?id=34392

New Interpol international crime statistics revealed, rather surprisingly, that Sweden, our laid-back, neutral, furniture-loving neighbour, where slapping a child is a criminal offence, tops the European crime league in murder, serious assaults and robberies, and even surpasses the USA in violent crime.

The murder rate in Sweden is three times as high as Denmark, four times as high as Norway, and twice as high as in the USA. In addition, Sweden has twice as many sex crimes and robberies as this country and 25 times as many violent assaults.

A Swedish National Crime Agency criminologist dismissed the Interpol figures as 'exaggerated.' 'They claim that there were 900 murders here in 2001, but that also included suicides which have somehow ended up in the murder column. To say we have a higher murder rate than the USA is ridiculous,' he said

[Spentastic]

1. Hmmm

Don't the Danes and the Swedes have a somewhat adversarial relationship?

'They claim that there were 900 murders here in 2001, but that also included suicides which have somehow ended up in the murder column.

Seems a common mistake to use flawed methodology.

[MrBenchley]

2. As a 1998-2000 average

Sweden has an average of 2.06 homides per 100,000 (roughly 150 a year), Denmark 1.00 (roughly 50 a year)

www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/hosb502.pdf

The US has 5.87 per 100,000 (roughly 16,000 a year).

In terms of gun homicides, Sweden has 0.37 per 100,000; the US has 3.97 prt 100,000 (another RKBA "victory")

http://www.helpnetwork.org/frames/gun_death_by_nation_data.htm

Those screaming "gun control doesn't work" ought to at least look at the table at that link,, which shows what a lie "gun control doesn't work" IS.

[Romulus]

5. nice to see

you using the cited statistical source

New Interpol international crime statistics

[iverglas]

3. now really

Doesn't that seem just a tad silly?


How about we ask everybody's favourite site:

http://www.guncite.com/gun_control_gcgvintl.html

Sweden, homicide rate, 1993: 1.3 / 100,000 population

US homicide rate, 1993: 5.7 / 100,000 population


http://www.drugwarfacts.org/crime.htm

"Since the definition of homicide is similar in most countries, absolute comparisons of rates are possible. For the period 1998 to 2000, the average rate (the number of homicides per 100,000 population) was 1.7 in EU Member States with the highest rates in Northern Ireland (3.1), Spain (2.8) Finland (2.6), Scotland (2.2) and Sweden (2.1). The rate in England & Wales (1.5) was below the average. For the other countries, the highest rates were found in South Africa (54.3), Estonia (11.4), Lithuania (8.9), Latvia (6.5) and the USA (5.9)."

Source: Barclay, Gordon & Cynthia Tavares, "International Comparisons of Criminal Justice Statistics 2000," Home Office Bulletin 05/02 (London, England, UK: Home Office Research, Development, and Statistics Directorate, July 12, 2002), p. 3, from the web at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/hosb502.pdf, last accessed Oct. 12, 2002.

(I would imagine there were some other countries with rates higher than the US rate, and I am *not* citing the source as authority for any assertion that there were not.)


Sweden's estimated population in 2000: 8,873,052

900 homicides = more than 10 homicides for every 100,000 people -- or more than 1 homicide for every 10,000 people.
That is: five times the 1998-2000 average of 2.1 homicides for every 100,000 people. And just how likely is that?

The US has 5.6 homicides for every 100,000 people; fewer than .6 homicides for every 10,000 people.


My best advice to anybody who believes the silliness in that article is: get real. Or maybe: get a clue.

.

[Romulus]

4. which part?

My best advice to anybody who believes the silliness in that article is: get real. Or maybe: get a clue.

This part:
The murder rate in Sweden is three times as high as Denmark, four times as high as Norway, and twice as high as in the USA. In addition, Sweden has twice as many sex crimes and robberies as this country and 25 times as many violent assaults.

Or this part:
Swedish National Crime Agency criminologist dismissed the Interpol figures as 'exaggerated.' 'They claim that there were 900 murders here in 2001, but that also included suicides which have somehow ended up in the murder column. To say we have a higher murder rate than the USA is ridiculous,' he said

;) (edited to add: just kidding)

[iverglas]

6. just kidding

And I figure the original post was too, am I right? Nothing like eavesdropping on somebody else's national pride battles.

;)

You'd probably spent the weekend watching those Ikea commercials that so many people find annoying, but I kinda like ...

.

[aneerkoinos]

7. Sweden is starting to learn

what War Against Some Drugs means. Since 1980 Sweden has had the most evil whacko drug policy in Europe. The underlying principle, sometimes openly outspoken, is that the society should make addicts lives as miserable as possible so they would work as warning examples for anyone contamplating to inhale a bit. The policy is backed up by official lying, silensing dissenting voices etc, police brutality, suffocating youth cultures etc.

The natural consequense of this policy is people using hard drugs instead of pot, growing number of social outcasts, growing violence, growing power of mafia's, police corruption, overall insecurity etc.