We are happy with the operation

The Police were responsible for maintaining order and safety during the NATO meeting when the 32 Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the member states met in Helsingborg. Surveillance activities have been extensive on land, in the air, at sea and in the digital arena. Police Region South received reinforcements from all over Sweden and also from the Danish Police.

“During the meeting, there were several side activities for the delegations of the member states, in Skåne as well as Blekinge. A lot of people probably saw, and sometimes were affected by, the motorcades with delegates going into and out of Helsingborg. Everything has gone according to plan, with no public order disturbances”, says Police Operation Commander Mattias Sigfridsson. 

During the NATO week, around 10 public gatherings with permits were held in Helsingborg.

“The mission of the Police is to secure freedom of speech. The dialogue with the organisers was good and these demonstrations were peaceful.”

On Friday, there was a public gathering that did not have a permit, where the organisers refused a dialogue with the police.

“For a short time, there were public order disturbances as the protesters did not heed the Police’s instructions. Things never became violent and we could restore order relatively quickly.”

The closures around the conference hotel are now lifted, most of the police officers from other regions have gone home and life in Helsingborg has returned to normal.

“We worked to minimise the impacts on the local community, but obviously, a police operation of this size does not go unnoticed. There were impacts on traffic, roads were closed temporarily and there was an unusually large police presence in Helsingborg during the week. People in Helsingborg were very understanding. We were met with patience, curious questions and many positive comments,” says Mattias Sigfridsson.

Crime during the NATO week

Levels of crime connected to the NATO week were low.

During the week, drones were prohibited from flying over central Helsingborg. The Police surveyed the area and around 10 drones were detected in the restricted area. Most of these were flown by negligence or by foreign nationals who did not know that drones were prohibited.

The majority of cases reported to the Police during the week concerned stickers and unauthorised posters being put up.

In connection with a public gathering held without a permit on 22 May, around a hundred individuals were removed in accordance with the Police Act, and a few were taken into custody. One person was arrested for a violation of the Act on Inflammable and Explosive Substances as he was carrying two smoke grenades. The person was released after being identified. Around 10 individuals were reported for violating the face covering prohibition during the gathering.

A couple of cases of suspected sabotage and sabotage of emergency service activities were reported during the week. At this point in the investigations, the Police have found no indication that they were directed at the Police or were meant to obstruct the police operation. One of the cases of sabotage of emergency service activities involved criminal damages as someone broke the window of a parked police vehicle.