Police: document, complain, keep the timeline intact
A series for anyone who needs a durable record after an intervention or encounter with police.
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Police
When you have been subject to police action, the first battle is often about what actually happened. Here we gather guides on recording and filming, collecting witnesses, building a timeline, requesting records, and complaining — plus investigations on registers and oversight.
Are you a suspect?
Start with the guide for people suspected of a crime
It explains police interviews, levels of suspicion, public defence counsel, the preliminary investigation and what happens if you are arrested, detained or remanded in custody.
Start with the material
Guides, tips, and next steps
We put the essentials first: a guide to start with, practical tips, and selected pieces. The longer step-by-step series follows right below.
Featured guides
Most relevant for this authority
PolicePolice & interventions
PoliceChildren’s rightsAppeal
30 August 2026 · 16 min read
When police collect a child in a custody dispute: what can a parent do?
A practical legal guide to court orders, stays of enforcement, documentation, the child’s needs, and what to do before, during and after a police collection.
Read more: When police collect a child in a custody dispute: what can a parent do?
Court processCriminal proceedings & defenceSeries part 1
PoliceEvidenceDocumentation
29 July 2026 · 20 min read
Suspected of a Crime – Your Rights from Police Interrogation to Detention
A comprehensive guide for those who are or may be suspected of a crime: classification and degrees of suspicion, rights during police questioning, public defender, preliminary investigation, and what happens if you are arrested, detained, or remanded in custody.
Read more: Suspected of a Crime – Your Rights from Police Interrogation to Detention
PolicePrivacy & data protection
PolicePrivacyOversight
16 July 2026 · 14 min read
Real-time AI facial recognition by the police: what the law permits from July 1, 2026
Since July 1, 2026, the Police and Säpo are permitted to use AI for real-time facial recognition under strict conditions. Here you will find information on when it is allowed, how permits function, what IMY does, and what you can request access to.
Read more: Real-time AI facial recognition by the police: what the law permits from July 1, 2026
PolicePrivacy & data protection
PrivacyPoliceOversight
16 July 2026 · 12 min read
Camera surveillance after April 1, 2025: what applies when the permit is removed?
The permit requirement with IMY for camera surveillance was removed on April 1, 2025. Here is what applies instead: balancing of interests, listing, the police's expanded capabilities, and how to request information.
Read more: Camera surveillance after April 1, 2025: what applies when the permit is removed?
PolicePrivacy & data protection
PolicePrivacyEvidence
16 July 2026 · 13 min read
Secret Coercive Measures: Surveillance, Data Reading, and What You Can Do if Affected
Secret surveillance, secret monitoring, and secret data reading are among the state's most powerful tools. Here you will find the definitions, the difference from preventive coercive measures, and practical steps if you suspect you have been affected.
Read more: Secret Coercive Measures: Surveillance, Data Reading, and What You Can Do if Affected
PolicePolice & interventions
PoliceEvidencePrivacy
24 May 2026 · 8 min read
Yes, you are allowed to film the police – even during stops and arrests
Yes – you are allowed to film the police in Sweden when you are on site and do not obstruct their work. Rules during stops and arrests, what the police can demand, and how you save the footage as evidence.
Read more: Yes, you are allowed to film the police – even during stops and arrests
Step by step
Read these guides in this order
A compact path through the series. Open the part that matches where you are in the matter.
Related articles
Investigations and deeper reading
Editorial pieces that add context — they complement the step-by-step guides.
PoliceInvestigationPolice & interventions
PoliceOversightEvidence
20 August 2026 · 22 min read
The police’s two feeds: public accounts, closed corps culture and misconduct that stays off-stage
Investigation of Swedish police public social media, communications spending and the PR dilemma, set against the closed Facebook group UMF and a documented case of official misconduct later absorbed into a positive local portrait.
Read more: The police’s two feeds: public accounts, closed corps culture and misconduct that stays off-stage
PoliceInvestigationPolice & interventions
PoliceOversightDelay
12 July 2026 · 10 min read
Sweden’s 2025 Ombudsman complaints: police cases rose by nearly 50 per cent
Sweden’s Parliamentary Ombudsmen registered 15,429 new cases in 2025. Police complaints rose from 1,334 to 1,998, but a complaint is not a proven error. A source-critical review of the figures, the oversight gap and JO’s actual powers.
Read more: Sweden’s 2025 Ombudsman complaints: police cases rose by nearly 50 per cent
PoliceInvestigationPolice & interventions
PoliceOversightPrivacy
8 June 2026 · 15 min read
Independent and extended confiscation: seizure, loaned car and when authorities seize property
Examination of independent forfeiture, extended confiscation, confiscation of criminal proceeds, open cases and amounts, loaned cars taken by the Swedish Enforcement Administration and risks when seized goods disappear from the police.
Read more: Independent and extended confiscation: seizure, loaned car and when authorities seize property
Across authorities
When the problem crosses several authorities
These guides help with documentation, corrections, follow-up, and oversight regardless of which authority currently holds the power in the matter.
Documentation
In contact with authorities: record, request, and always respond
Appeals & oversight
How does a trial proceed? Process steps, settlement, prosecution, and civil law 1. **Initiation of Proceedings**: A trial begins when a party files a lawsuit or when the prosecutor brings charges in a criminal case. The court then issues a summons to the defendant, informing them of the claims or charges and the requirement to respond. 2. **Preliminary Proceedings**: In this phase, the court may hold preliminary hearings to address procedural issues, set timelines, and determine whether there is sufficient evidence to proceed to trial. This stage may involve motions to dismiss or requests for summary judgment. 3. **Exchange of Evidence**: Both parties are required to disclose evidence they intend to present at trial. This process, known as discovery, includes the exchange of documents, witness lists, and other relevant information. 4. **Settlement Discussions**: At any point before the trial, the parties may engage in settlement discussions to resolve the matter without a court judgment. This can involve negotiation or mediation, where a neutral third party assists in reaching an agreement. 5. **Trial**: If the case does not settle, it proceeds to trial. In a criminal case, the prosecutor presents evidence to prove the defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. In a civil case, the plaintiff must prove their case by a preponderance of the evidence. Both sides have the opportunity to present evidence, call witnesses, and make legal arguments. 6. **Judgment**: After hearing the evidence and arguments, the judge or jury delivers a verdict. In a criminal case, the verdict determines the defendant's guilt or innocence. In a civil case, the verdict decides whether the defendant is liable and, if so, the amount of damages to be awarded. 7. **Appeal**: The losing party may appeal the decision to a higher court, challenging legal errors that may have affected the outcome. The appellate court reviews the trial court's proceedings and may affirm, reverse, or remand the case for further proceedings. 8. **Enforcement of Judgment**: If the judgment is in favor of the plaintiff, they may take steps to enforce it, such as garnishing wages or seizing assets, if the defendant does not voluntarily comply. The term "angiverilag" refers to a controversial legislative proposal or law that involves mandatory reporting or informing on certain activities, often raising concerns about privacy and civil liberties.
Documentation
Yes: recording conversations without consent – even with authorities
Privacy & data protection
Camera surveillance: this applies (plot, neighbor, stairwell)
Documentation
General document: request documents from authority step by step
Appeals & oversight
JO complaint: template, form, and when the Parliamentary Ombudsman will not help
Appeals & oversight
Where should I turn? Guide to Trial Courts and Notifications
Common problems
- You remember a lot but lack footage, photos, or witness names.
- The police incident report is written before your version and becomes the official record.
- You do not know whether to complain to the police, JO, or court.
Rights and protective points
- You may normally film and document when you are present.
- You can complain and request records without perfect legal language.
Common questions
Can you film the police in Sweden?
Yes, normally when you are present and do not obstruct their work. See our guide on filming police.
Where can you complain about the police?
To the Police Authority (114 14 or web), JO, or in some cases court. Start with documented evidence.
Can you file a JO complaint against the police?
Yes, if you suspect misconduct. Attach timeline, footage, and witness details.
Should I wait until I calm down before writing?
Write facts early and revise the tone later. Timelines usually become worse if you wait too long.
Editorial
All investigations on this theme
Editorial pieces — not step-by-step guides. See the statistics page for patterns and the case bank.
Investigation
Police & interventions
The police’s two feeds: public accounts, closed corps culture and misconduct that stays off-stage
Investigation of Swedish police public social media, communications spending and the PR dilemma, set against the closed Facebook group UMF and a documented case of official misconduct later absorbed into a positive local portrait.
Read investigation
Investigation
Police & interventions
Sweden’s 2025 Ombudsman complaints: police cases rose by nearly 50 per cent
Sweden’s Parliamentary Ombudsmen registered 15,429 new cases in 2025. Police complaints rose from 1,334 to 1,998, but a complaint is not a proven error. A source-critical review of the figures, the oversight gap and JO’s actual powers.
Read investigation
Investigation
Police & interventions
Independent and extended confiscation: seizure, loaned car and when authorities seize property
Examination of independent forfeiture, extended confiscation, confiscation of criminal proceeds, open cases and amounts, loaned cars taken by the Swedish Enforcement Administration and risks when seized goods disappear from the police.
Read investigation
Investigation
Police & interventions
Armatech, Defensor and the police stun guns: the supplier, the owners and former ÖB on the board
Review of the supplier ranks behind police stun guns: Armatech/AXON, Defensor Group, Flat Capital, SAFE4U and board details of former ÖB Sverker Göranson.
Read investigation
Investigation
Police & interventions
The demands of police training: aptitude tests, lowered limits and the risk of quantity before quality
Review of the admission requirements of police training, the UNIQ aptitude test, the National Audit Office's critique, Aftonbladet's 200 seconds-alarm and new proposed requirements 2026.
Read investigation
Investigation
Police & interventions
Police stun guns: stun guns, risks, TASER 7 and increasing use
Review of police stun guns: model and make, volts, what the electroshock does to the body, medical risk groups, improper use and interactive statistics on coercion, firing and driving shocks.
Read investigation
Investigation
Police & interventions
Police violence, reports and violence: the statistics behind the review
Special Prosecution Chamber, SU statistics, fatal police interventions and the older DN review on women violence as most common off-duty police offences.
Read investigation
Investigation
Privacy & data protection
When police records become a private service: The Skaraborgs case, the entrepreneur and the secret data
A police officer in Skaraborg is charged with carrying out records checks on behalf of a car owner and for private searches of relatives. The case shows why logs, permissions and control are not technical details but the very protection against authority power on order.
Read investigation
Investigation
Privacy & data protection
Police reconnaissance records (ASP): criticism, gypsies and what is meant by Z-register
From the computerization in 1979 to the Scanian mapping in 2009—2013 and the IMY criticism in 2014: this is how the debate grew about police reconnaissance records, groupings such as gypsies and the unofficial term Z-register.
Read investigation
Investigation
Privacy & data protection
Palantir police: review of AI system, privacy and Swedish pension money
What kind of police officer is Palantir? According to reports, Swedish police are using Palantir's analysis platform. Here you get what we know, why it's controversial, which Swedish authorities are concerned and what it means for your privacy.
Read investigation
Investigation
Police & interventions
Fasces in the Police Arms: the Ghost Bunch, the Rule of Law and the Fascist Associations
The emblem of the Swedish Police includes crossed ghost bundles, fasces with bilas. The symbol has older roots in Roman law and state power, but has also been criticized for modern links to fascism.
Read investigation
Investigation
Police & interventions
When gangs trained at shooting range: police as instructor and the control that burst
DN states that a police officer worked as an instructor at a shooting range where people connected to rough gang environments trained. This raises larger questions about by-pursuits, gun environments and the police's own risk control.
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Investigation
Police & interventions
The Gotland affair and Peter Rätz: infiltrators, drugs and evidence that never became simple
A careful review of what can be coated about the Gotland affair: the orchestrated heroin deal, the role of Peter Rätz, denials from police leadership and the issue of hidden evidence.
Read investigation