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Sweden has become a European hotspot for deadly shootings, rocking its reputation as a safe and peaceful nation. Last year, a record 62 people were killed in gun violence in the Nordic nation, which has a population of just 10 million.

There has been a fresh wave of shootings and explosions in 2023, many of them linked to a split within one criminal gang. But police say violent, unlawful networks are active across the country. They are especially worried about gang leaders recruiting growing numbers of children, who are murdering other young people and their families in disputes about drugs and weapons.

Stockholm-based broadcaster Maddy Savage and Nikoi Djane – an ex-gang member turned criminologist - speak to teenagers in the capital about what it is like to grow up around drugs, guns and gangs, and explore what is being done to tackle the problem.

Presenters: Maddy Savage and Nikoi Djane
Producer: Maddy Savage
Researcher: Josephine Frans
A Bespoken Media production for ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ World Service

(Photo: Parents Libaan Warsame (lL) and Ida Kriisa (R) out on a night walk street patrol in Rinkeby, Stockholm. Credit: Benoit Derrier)