Motverket – scrutiny of public power

Motverket investigates Swedish authorities, due process, and public power using documents, data, and open sources.

• First anonymous witness: Umeå District Court heard someone whose identity was not disclosed to the defense

  The law on anonymous witnesses has been in effect since January 1, 2025. The first time it was applied in a courtroom was at Umeå District Court in 2026, in case number 764. The defense was not informed of the witness's identity. The judgment later stated that the testimony was not decisive. The review distinguishes between threats, evidentiary value, and the right to challenge.

• The school considers the indictment, not just the verdict: the suspicion register became an employment condition on July 15

  Since July 15, 2026, anyone employed in preschool, school, or adult education (komvux) must present an extract from both the criminal records register and the suspicion register. The extract must be no older than six months. The employer may note that it has been shown but may not copy it. The review separates charges, verdicts, and employment decisions.

• Failed security clearance – and still in the systems

  DN reports that an official close to the Prime Minister's security advisor failed the security clearance but retained access cards, secret IT systems, and entry to Rosenbad. The review contrasts this with the Security Protection Act: clearance, access, and employment are three distinct matters.

• Interventions without consent: fines for parents, curfews for children, and an electronic tag awaiting a date

  The Act (2026:1637) on Measures within Social Services when Consent is Lacking is effective from January 2, 2027. The Social Welfare Board may decide on measures, home curfews from 18:00 to 07:00, and drug tests without consent, impose fines on parents, and call the police. The electronic monitoring device has been decided upon but lacks a start date. The review distinguishes between what is currently applicable, what is forthcoming, and what the referral bodies warned about.

• Reception Act October 1: county as a boundary, attendance control at the accommodation, and one week without money per day

  The Reception Act (2026:999) replaces the LMA on October 1, 2026, and is amended again the following day. Asylum seekers are not permitted to leave the county, must participate in attendance checks from the age of 16, and lose daily allowances for each day spent outside the county. The review examines what applies on which day, what cannot be appealed, and what the Asylum Rights Centre warned about.

• When the police are allowed to entice the crime: the legislative council referral on provocation, fictitious abuse images, and concealed vehicles

  The government's legislative proposal from September 7, 2026, provides explicit legal support for police and prosecutors to undertake actions that may lead someone to commit a crime, allows the police to produce and share fictitious child pornography images, and establishes a law on covert vehicles. Proposed effective date is March 1, 2027. The review distinguishes between what is proposed, who is authorized to decide, and the objections raised by the Parliamentary Ombudsman (JO), the Swedish Prosecution Authority, and universities.

• Child Interviews as Evidence: Teddy Bear Cards, Taping, and What is Missing in the File

  Uppdrag granskning revealed unscientific child interviews that can lead to LVU (Care of Young Persons Act). The investigation contrasts the methods against the evidence requirement in the new Social Services Act, SBU's knowledge gaps, recorded child interrogations, and what is actually submitted to the administrative court.

• Mandatory Reporting Against Corruption: The Proposal That Does Not Address Conflicts of Interest – and May Lead to a Vote

  Municipalities and regions are proposed to be obligated to report employees who are reasonably suspected of committing crimes in the course of their duties. Consultation deadline is October 10, 2026, with the proposed effective date being July 1, 2027. The review contrasts the memorandum with LOA Section 22, police's 14 out of 39, and three documented cases.

• Real-time facial recognition: the law from July 1 and the images that have already been tested

  The Act (2026:806) and the Ordinance (2026:815) are effective from July 1, 2026. The police tested the system in June using material from the national camera platform. The review distinguishes between the thresholds of the law, test data on innocent individuals, and what is not Palantir.

• Five-year-old taken by police: police powers, possible offences and the child’s rights

  A court order authorised police to collect the child, but did not give them unlimited discretion. Motverket examines the requirements of a gentle and proportionate intervention, the child’s best interests and possible criminal liability if the limits were exceeded.

• When Disclosure Is Not Enough: 80 Municipal Scandals, Soft Landings, and a Law That Rarely Bites

  Uppdrag granskning maps out 80 municipal scandals and observes the same pattern: few police reports, even fewer prosecutions, and whistleblowers who are dismissed. The investigation compares UG with CPI, OECD, the police's own figures, and three documented cases – Ystad, Vingåker, and Skinnskatteberg.

• The Police's Two Streams: Public Accounts, Strategic Communication, and Closed Corps Spirit

  Review of the police's public social media, communication budget, and framework agreement for strategic communication, contrasted with the closed Facebook group UMF where thousands of police officers spread mockery against critics and women.

• Surveillance Behind Bars: Kumla, Forensic Psychiatry in Växjö, and the Room That Must Not Exist

  The Parliamentary Ombudsman (JO) is investigating suspected illegal surveillance and misconduct at Kumla. In Växjö, two employees were dismissed following the discovery of hidden cameras at the forensic psychiatric facility. The review distinguishes between investigation and established oversight—and demonstrates why the protection of privacy is most fragile precisely when the state already holds the key.

• Abuse of Public Office: New Offense from August 1, 2026

  On August 1, 2026, the crime of abuse of public office was introduced. It covers a broader scope than misconduct in office – but requires intent. Motverket reviews the law, the guidance from Statskontoret, and what still falls outside its scope.

• Nybro: two boys mildly injured after crash with police bus during a stop

  Update August 3: The injury status has been adjusted from serious/ICU to minor injuries according to Region Kalmar län's bulletin. The collision occurred during police control on August 2 and is being investigated by special investigations.

• Police vehicles in traffic accidents: how common during emergency driving?

  The VTI study commissioned by the Swedish Police Authority shows that pursuits dominate emergency response accidents, that ramming is the most common, and that one in ten police officers in external service has been involved in a serious accident during an emergency response.