Sweden's security policy under attack

Anna Lindh’s murder as she was shopping unguarded in a Stockholm department store, today evoked harsh criticism of Sweden’s security policy for government officials.

Critics said the agency, known as Sapo, should have learned more from the murder of Prime Minister Olof Palme, who was killed in 1986 while walking home from a cinema with his wife. The murder has not been solved.

Like Lindh, Palme had no bodyguard.

“I am somewhat shocked that the responsible authorities haven’t learned anything after Palme was murdered,” said Jerzy Sarnecki, a Stockholm University criminology professor.

Sweden, like its Nordic neighbours, prides itself on the accessibility of its politicians. Although security was beefed up after Palme’s murder, only the prime minister and the king are afforded round-the-clock protection.

Sapo officials conceded that security could have been better around Lindh, but stopped short of accepting blame for the incident.

“There was no threat picture against Anna Lindh and that’s why she didn’t have any body guard protection,” said acting Sapo chief Kurt Malmstroem.

“It is of course a failure in that this has happened. The future will have to show whether there has been an erroneous judgment.”

Sarnecki criticised Sapo’s judgment, saying Lindh was a leading figure in the Social Democratic government’s efforts to make Swedes adopt the euro in a referendum Sunday.

“To put it mildly, how the hell can you say that there wasn’t a threatening picture in a politically inflamed situation?” he said. “That’s not assessment I would have made.”