Police to alert social services over first-time suspects aged 18–20
Police in Sweden will have to notify social services immediately when someone aged 18–20 is reasonably suspected for the first time of an offence punishable by prison. The duty starts on 2 January 2027.
The new regulation, issued on 5 November and published on Tuesday, adds the requirement to the rules governing criminal investigations.
It applies at the suspicion stage: police do not have to wait for a conviction. The person must be under 21, and it must be their first suspicion of an offence carrying a possible prison sentence.
The provision requires notification to the municipal social services committee. It does not itself decide what help or intervention follows, and being reported under it is not a finding of guilt.
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