Crime Victim Support
If you have been the victim of a crime, you have the option of receiving support and assistance in various forms, depending on what type of crime you have been subjected to.
Support from social services in your municipality
Social services in your municipality is responsible for you and your loved ones receiving support and assistance in the event that you have been the victim of a criminal act. This may involve financial, practical or psychological support. In certain municipalities there are support centres for youth that have been subjected to crime.
Associations and organizations
There are several non-profit associations and organizations working with the support and assistance of victims of crime, for example, crime victim hotlines and crisis hotlines for women.
Interpreter
The police are obliged to offer assistance if you are not fluent in the Swedish language or if you are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech impairment. Specify if you require an interpreter when contacting the police.
On the website, certain information in languages other than English can be found in:
Meänkieli/Torne Valley Finnish
Bosanski Hrvatski Srpski /Bosnian Croatian Serbian
Swedish sign language (in Swedish)
Easy to read information (in Swedish)
If you have a disability
There is assistance available based on the constraints of your disability, namely your specific needs. Specify your specific requirements when contacting the police.
Deaf and hearing impaired
The police can provide an interpreter.
Visually impaired
The police can have information read to you or provide it as stored data.
Disabled
The police ensure that the premises are accessible.
Cognitive impairments
If you have cognitive impairments, such as intellectual disabilities, reading and writing difficulties, et cetera, the police will cater to your needs.
Support in the legal process
In most cases, you have the right to bring along a support person when visiting the police. You decide who is to be your support person. It can be a friend, an official from social services or someone from a victim or women's support organization. The support person does not receive compensation for their involvement.
You can also receive a counsel for an injured party, or 'legal representative'. If granted, this service is free of charge. The counsel for an injured party supports you throughout the entire legal process. If you wish to obtain counsel, relay this to the police or prosecutor.
Witness support
Witness support will be available in the District Court's waiting room to provide information and support to witnesses, but also to you as the injured party, before and after a court hearing.
If you wish to obtain more information on witness support, you can contact the District Court or Court of Appeal where the trial is being held.
Legal advice
Legal advice can, for example, pertain to action for damages which the police and prosecutor cannot assist with, or negotiations with insurance companies.
For further information, please contact the National Legal Aid Authority or a law firm that offers advice under the Legal Aid Act.
Mediation
Mediation means that you, as crime victim, meet the offender to discuss the crime with the help of an impartial mediator. The purpose of the mediation is primarily for the offender to gain a better insight into the consequences of the crime and for you as victim to have the opportunity to process your experiences of the crime. Mediation after a crime is a part of the legal system, but not a separate sanction.
Participation in mediation is voluntary for both parties. It is mandatory that the country's municipalities offer mediation when the offender is under 21. For more information on mediation activities in your district, contact your local police authority, social services or crime victim hotline.
Information from the Swedish Prison and Probation Service
If you are a victim of a crime that violates your health, life, freedom or peace, you will be asked if you want to know if the offender, for example, is granted leave, does not return from leave or other stays outside of the institution, escapes or is released.
Call 114 14 for more information. The telephone number from abroad is +46 77 114 14 00.