A wave of well-planned home burglaries has swept across southern Sweden during July. Swedish police suspect that organized gangs are behind the crimes and are now urging the public to increase vigilance.

During July, Sweden has been hit by an unusually extensive wave of home burglaries with between 45 and 50 reported cases. The crimes are spread across the West, South and East police regions, and most of the break-ins have been carried out in a similar manner, leading police to suspect that an organized gang is behind them.

The perpetrators have often gained entry by lifting out entire window frames. They have then hung up sheets indoors to conceal their presence, sorted stolen goods on beds and focused on taking jewelry and cash.

Break-ins where windows are lifted out is a well-known method, which often occurs in residential villa areas. Similar shoe prints left at multiple locations strengthen suspicions that the same group may be behind a large number of the crimes.

Polisen uppmanar till vaksamhet efter stort antal villainbrott: Under juli månad har närmare 50 villainbrott utförts i polisregionerna Väst, Syd och Öst. I de flesta fallen h https://t.co/hCSSOcTMLY

— Polisen nationellt (@Polisen_Sverige) July 30, 2025

Professional gangs

Swedish police assess that these are professional perpetrators with good knowledge of alarms and locking devices. At least two people have likely participated in each break-in. In some cases, the properties have been surveilled in advance, indicating that the crimes were carefully planned.

– These are professional and organized gangs behind these crimes. We believe that at least two perpetrators were involved in each break-in. And in some cases we suspect they visited the locations and conducted surveillance some time before the actual break-in, says Lina Carlshamre, crime analyst at the crime coordination unit in the West police region, in a press release.

In response to this development, Swedish police have strengthened cooperation between the affected regions. The authorities are now urging villa owners to be extra vigilant – especially during vacation periods when many homes stand empty.

They emphasize the importance of maintaining contact with neighbors and reporting suspicious behavior. According to crime analysts, the motto is: better once too often than once too little.

Despite the fact that the number of residential burglaries has decreased somewhat in the country in recent years, July’s statistics show that the threat to villa owners remains.