Criticism from an 'impartial perspective'.

A commission appointed by the Swedish government, led by ex-premier Ingvar Carlsson, which was given the task of investigating the behaviour of the Gothenburg police during the European Summit of 2001, published its final report in January 2003. In the heavy volume 'Gotebörg 2001. Betänkanda frän Göteborgkommitten', the commission levelled much-needed criticism at the police.

Several points of criticism in summary:

The police prepared poorly for the EU summit. Not enough officers were deployed and the materiel was lacking. As such, the police did not for instance have access to a water cannon and the radio communication equipment was substandard. The communication among various corps was poor, as was co-operation among them.

The commission condemns the way in which the raid on the Hvitfeldska school was conducted. The police used much too heavy means and did not tell the people in the school anything about the reason for the raid. Nor did they indicate the conditions under which people were permitted to leave the blockaded zone. Moreover, police officers were rough and humiliating toward those who were
arrested. The consequences of the police behaviour during this raid were great, the commission concludes. It seriously damaged the relationship with the demonstrators during the course of the summit, with the riots in the days following the raid as a consequence. The officers, as well, came onder great physical and psychological pressure as a result of the raid, which created a
backlash during the rest of the weekend.
In addition to the behaviour of the police during the raid in the Hvitfeldska school, the commission reports a number of facts that led to the riots. For one, the behaviour of the police during a demonstration in Malmö, two months before the EU summit, was already unnecessarily provocative. Furthermore, it was mainly the behaviour of the police on the streets of Gothenburg that led to the riots. Among other things, the police dispersed the crowd with dogs. What's more, officers mingled with the demonstrators clad in balaclavas and armed with stones. The commission does not wish to go so far as to say that the police intentionally provoked the riot, but is indeed of the opinion that the riots would have proceeded differently, had the police officers not mingled with the demonstrators.
In addition to the proposal that a ban on wearing balaclavas and masks should be brought into effect, the most important conclusion of the commission is that an extensive re-organisation of the police is necessary. The organisation has to be different, training must be improved and the materiel has to be made suitable. It can be read between the lines, as well, that the commission thinks that police culture must change, which would have been the cause of ignorance and prejudice concerning left-wing groupings.
Erik Wijk, January 16, 2003