STOCKHOLM, March 3 (Xinhua) -- The Swedish police have requested an additional SEK 600 million (65 million U.S. dollars) from the government to better manage border control, Swedish Television (SVT) reported on Sunday.
A 2018 Schengen report strongly criticised Sweden's border control, depicting a lack of staff, organization and competence. Early in 2019, Swedish news agency TT reported that Stockholm-based staff members of the border police had alerted the Ministry of Justice of the seriousness of the situation.
In order to address concerns raised in the Schengen report, the Swedish Police Authority argued in its 2019 budget dossier that the workforce at border crossing points must be expanded. TT reported that the dossier also outlined the need for investments in education, equipment, facilities and IT systems.
Swedish Minister for Home Affairs Mikael Damberg gave TT a written comment on the matter:
"The police have just submitted their budget request. We will of course analyze that. As for how the government's budget looks, we'll return to that. It is too early to answer."
The Swedish Police Authority have requested that the supplement of SEK 600 million (65 million U.S. dollars) be paid out over the next three years.
In order to meet the personnel target of nearly 10,000 more police employees in 2024, the authority has also requested an additional SEK 1.3 billion (140 million U.S. dollars).
"The government has been clear," Damberg wrote regarding the target. "The police will have 10,000 more employees by 2024." (1 U.S. dollar = 9.27 SEK)
