Criticism of the Swedish Police Authority for taking a person into temporary custody pursuant to Section 13 of the Police Act without grounds for the measure, and for shortcomings in documentation

Summary of the decision: A person riding an electric scooter on a roundabout was taken into temporary custody pursuant to Section 13 of the Police Act (SFS 1984:387).

The Swedish Police Authority is criticised because there were no legal grounds for doing so. The Swedish Police Authority is also criticised for shortcomings in referring the matter for consideration by a senior officer and because documentation of the detention was deficient in several regards.

In her decision, the Parliamentary Ombudsman emphasises that taking someone into temporary custody pursuant to Section 13 of the Police Act is only permitted if turning away or removing them from the area proves inadequate, and that the reason why turning them away or removing them proved inadequate must be documented.