Police officers playing computer games to stop gang recruitment

At the same time as there is a chronic shortage of police officers in the country, and the citizens feel increasingly unsafe, the police are investing in computer games. There, they will try to prevent more people from turning to crime.

During this year’s DreamHack at Älvsjömässan in Stockholm, which set a new attendance record with 60,000 people, four uniformed police officers sat in a corner and played Counter-Strike.

“We want to get close and lower the threshold for young people to contact us,” said police officer Magnus Björn-Bentzen to state television.

A total of 15 police officers are part of the Police Authority’s initiative to increase their digital presence. The purpose of the patrolling police officers playing computer games during working hours is to prevent things like hate crimes and stop gang recruitment and grooming of children and young people.

DreamHack. Photo: Edvard Hansson, CC BY-SA 4.0

Could be more

The idea is that the police officers will also be present on platforms such as Twitch and Discord where they will play together with young people. If the initiative works well, the ambition is to have even more officers involved.

According to Magnus Björn-Bentzen, the games should be a safe place for children, but for parents as well, it can feel reassuring to know that their children are playing in the company of the police.