Crime around the industrial establishments - a quantitative study on reported crime in Swedish municipalities with industrial establishments between the years 2003 and 2023

The purpose of the study was to highlight potential crimes that were affected by industrial development in Swedish municipalities and what types of crimes could be linked to the industrial establishment. The study was based on the theory of social disorganization to describe the social changes that the industrial establishments entailed. Data was obtained from the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention's register data. The study was conducted using quantitative methods where a quasi-experimental design for 8 municipalities was used together with difference-in-difference analysis. The results showed positive correlations between industrial establishments and crimes against creditors and benefit violations, while negative correlations were shown with crimes against public order, the Narcotics Penal Code and other special criminal laws. Based on theory and previous research, there was reason to assume that the result was partly due to the industrial establishments, but unemployment and population growth, including the proportion of foreign-born people, also played a role. However, the industrial establishments did not give rise to the major social problems described in social disorganization. Expanding municipalities had greater problems with crime if they also had a high unemployment rate and exclusion.

Syftet med studien var att belysa potentiella brott som påverkades av industriell utveckling i svenska kommuner och vilka typer av brott som kunde kopplas till industrietableringen. Studien tog avstamp i teorin om social desorganisation för att beskriva samhällsförändringarna som industrietableringarna innebar. Data inhämtades från Brottsförebyggande rådets registerdata. Undersökningen genomfördes med kvantitativa metoder där en kvasiexperimentell design för 8 kommuner användes tillsammans med difference-in-difference analys. Resultatet visade positiva samband mellan industrietableringar och brott mot borgenärer och bidragsbrott medan negativa samband påvisades med brott mot allmän ordning, narkotikastrafflagen och andra specialstraffrättsliga lagar. Baserat på teori och tidigare forskning fanns det skäl att anta att resultatet till viss del berodde på industrietableringarna, men även arbetslösheten och befolkningsökningen inklusive andelen utlandsfödda spelade in. Industrietableringarna gav dock inte de stora samhällsproblem som beskrivs i social desorganisation. Expanderande kommuner hade större problem med brottslighet om de samtidigt hade en hög arbetslöshet och utanförskap.