Father shot in Malmö as concerns rise over youth violence and HVB home oversight

On October 7, a father of young children was shot through a window in his home in Malmö. A 16-year-old boy, who is under the care of social services according to Swedish law (LVU), has been identified as the suspect. Over the past few years, this teenager has been placed in various youth homes and foster care.

The increase in violent crimes, including homicide and bombings committed by youth under state care, has raised serious concerns. Although there are no official statistics on the prevalence of such incidents, police sources indicate that these events are becoming commonplace. This situation has drawn attention to the oversight of residential care (HVB) homes, particularly following a police report highlighting organized crime infiltrating these facilities.

Anders Henriksson, the chair of the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions, has strongly criticized IVO, the authority responsible for oversight. He described the situation as “extremely serious” due to the presence of criminal activity in HVB homes, calling it “completely unacceptable.” Henriksson added that IVO is failing to fulfill its responsibilities and emphasized the need for increased, unannounced inspections and quicker response times when issues are identified.

Previously, reports revealed that several companies operating HVB homes maintained their licenses and continued accepting children even after police findings were made public. It was only after this information circulated that IVO initiated oversight procedures in multiple homes run by these companies. The deputy director-general of IVO has declined interviews but will appear on a news program later this evening.