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[celem]

Im an unhappy bunny...

Go on, ask me why...

Well I'll tell you anyway, because i'm sad and sharing my grievances for sympathy from a random group of electronic avatars that I dont know yet love a game I love will make me feel better.

My wife runs a small restaurant, we bought it about three weeks ago.  Nothing fancy, a lunchtime-only diner in an industrial estate, she is a very popular cook and has captured a large chunk of the tradesman market already, taking custom from several existing places in addition to the regulars who stuck with it. 

Three nights ago someone broke in through the office window and totally trashed the place.  Ankle-deep in glass and pottery shards type trashed.  We made a police complaint, they dust for prints etc and we tidy up.  Later the next day I get a call from an unknown number and some guy starts threatening the restaurant, demanding to speak to the former owner, who he maintains owes him moneys.  I explain it has been sold and invite him over to sort the issue out, I also contact the previous owner, though he claims no knowledge of the affair.

Unfortunately the guy doesnt come over for a chat.  The next communique I receive is when he (or one of his) tosses a firebomb through one of the front windows, again, middle of Friday night.  I kinda half expected it however and was on a cot in the kitchen, was able to salvage the situation with minimal damage.   Another police report.  No prints this time, in Sweden apparently they dont even bother unless someone went inside, it wont stand in court so they wont even dust....  Whatever, to my mind you collect all evidence, even stuff that is blatantly inadmissible for the purposes of investigation.

The police explain that they cant help, they know no more than me, less even since they havent spoken to this 'guy'.  He isnt a priority since no actions can be construed a threat against my person or that of any other, he's threatening a building.  The fact I could have been killed is not relevant, it was not their obvious intent and does not constitute more than attempted-arson.  And they flat-out refuse to watch the place, insufficient resources.  They do however pledge to have a couple of cars swing by on patrols in the wee hours the next morning.  Their advice is 'try to open a dialogue...' 

Next night (last night) they come back on mopeds and put paving slabs through all 7 front plate windows.  I know this because I was at the top of a 40-foot chimney-stack belonging to the neighbouring bakery (who had kindly advanced permission) with an Image Intensifier scope and a really really expensive NV camera I had rented.  Rather than wade down and get lynched I call the police and settle for good footage of faces and number plates and so on.  As they leave I come down from my perch and survey the mess.  Within 10 minutes the police are back on site and i'm making yet another report.  Incidentally at no point until I called did a police car show, their promise to keep an eye open was empty.

Yet at the end of this report is an arrest!!!

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I have just been arrested for 'surveillance filming without permission', not withstanding that the property I filmed is mine, and the events were crimes commited against me.  They confiscated my hardware, which is going to cost me some 5,000 dollars equivalent in fines because it was rented.  The footage I captured is uncertain, they cannot decide if it is evidence against them or me or both.  The current lean is cant be used against them, is the entire case against me.-

[Neonivek]

He isnt a priority since no actions can be construed a threat against my person or that of any other, he's threatening a building.

This is rather incredulous since even if that is true... his methods is more then just "doing damage to the property" like smashing the windows or something like that.

It is firebombing which if someone was inside could have lead directly to criminal manslaughter.

Also check the laws on "surveillance"

Secret camera surveillance, communications surveillance, and wiretapping require a court order according to the Act on Measures to Investigate Certain Serious Crimes

There we go, that is why you were arrested. You actually need to go to court and get permission.

[DJ]

IMO you should go to the media with this. Maybe sufficient public pressure will get the cops to do their job.

[Neonivek]

In principle, video surveillance in places to which the public has access requires a permit from the County Administrative Board

Here it is too. Assuming I am reading it correctly.

All that will happen if you complain is people will stonewall you and tell you that you needed to go through the correct channels.

Sweden has some pretty strict surveillance laws... You literally need to get a license just to set them up for your business...

https://www.privacyinternational.org/reports/sweden/ii-surveillance-policies

Don't get me wrong it sucks... and yeah it stinks to high heaven... I am just showing what they were talking about. You could even get a year in jail.

[Sergarr]

This looks unsettlingly familiar to what has been called a "raider capture" in Russia. I thought Sweden was above that, but apparently I'm wrong. I'm pretty sure police is not simply incompetent, but in fact, bought out by the criminals.

[celem]

Secret camera surveillance, communications surveillance, and wiretapping require a court order according to the Act on Measures to Investigate Certain Serious Crimes

There we go, that is why you were arrested. You actually need to go to court and get permission.
[/quote]

See that bit I knew.   For instance as an owner of a business i cannot install cameras inside or out for monitoring of staff or premises without permissions from police and all relevant neighbours.  I didnt extend that logicaly to handheld.  I could arrest you for taking video with your cellphone with that logic.  And you cant argue 'spirit' of the law.  Law has little spirit in Sweden, its damn literal.  Their argument will be intent, which is fair, I knowingly went to film the actions of others.  Not saying I didnt break that one, I knew I was doing it, but at least hoped the flak would mainly fall their way since my 'intent' is crystal clear, i'm trying to be the Good Guy.  Im sure they will use the video somehow eventually, but end of the day I suspect the only true loser is going to be me.

I just cant help but feel like there's the world's biggest steaming pile of extenuating circumstances going on here, I was attempting to protect my property in the only way open, the police need a name, and the only connection to whoever is doing this is my restaurant, which they wont even visit without me bringing them to a crime scene.

edit: oh.  they also wont contact the cellular company to attempt to pull the number that called me, even though Sweden has a number of laws in place for exactly that procedure.  (I demonstrated against them).  They say it is certainly an untracable phone, which is admittedly a very simple thing to acquire here.  They are 99.9% certainly right, but damn it.  CHECK.

[Neonivek]

My only advice at this point celem... is get a lawyer.

Since I cannot think of a legal way out of this situation. Since they basically can legally harass your store because it is only illegal if they are caught or manage to kill someone (Which they very well can)

Mind you, I am not an expert... on this situation or Sweden... for all I know lawyers are a bad idea there.

[celem]

Yeah, lawyered up good and proper.  Part of the issue is that im not a Swede.  Oh, i've been here a decade, married a Swede and run a business here, but the country/culture/laws you grew up with become a semi-conscious conditioning.  I frequently think I can do things here that would be fine in the UK where I was born.  (for instance, cameras, in the UK I fit a hidden camera to spy on a till operator, who I then fired for theft.  Nobody blinks.  But I let you borrow my car and its police time.  Here a legal lend of a car is explicit verbal permission and possesion of keys, you ever need a car in Gothenburg, just PM me and borrow mine, totally legit.)

edit: I suspect much issue arises from the fact that theres technically not even any evidence that the guy who made the call was behind any other event, or that any 2 events are connected, my only real chance is that he calls back.  I was going to record the call with my cellphone, but apparently my lawyer thinks that a poor move.  At this point im inclined to agree, i cant find the relevant law on that one, but it treds too close to what i just stepped in.  Im getting eaten by the system here, struggling makes them chew longer.

[Graknorke]

I second the idea of going to the media with it.
It's a pretty tragic story I don't think they could go far wrong in making people sympathetic towards you.

[alexandertnt]

Be careful about going to the media. If taking those recordings was illegal, then distributing them like that might also be. You should talk to your lawyer first before doing anything like that.

[martinuzz]

I'm not sure how effective media atttention is in Sweden, but yeah, worth a try.
And if you still have copies of the images, get a private investigator to find out who it is that is trying to destroy you. I mean c'mon. They are torching your restaurant, because they had issues with the PREVIOUS OWNER? Ridiculous. Fire bombs? That's got to a point where I'd say, grab your hunting rifle and go rabbit hunting. Or at least set fire to their place, since that seems to be okay in Sweden. Unless you feel like selling your restaurant and moving a few 100km to another city. Seems Swedish law leaves you with no option than to take matters into your own hands.

[Graknorke]

Be careful about going to the media. If taking those recordings was illegal, then distributing them like that might also be. You should talk to your lawyer first before doing anything like that.

I didn't mean to distribute the videos.
Just the story of what happened.

[Neonivek]

Well the Swedish government may own the media OR may have a deal with the media, so whether or not the story will get through is beyond me.

[alexandertnt]

I'm not sure how effective media atttention is in Sweden, but yeah, worth a try.
And if you still have copies of the images, get a private investigator to find out who it is that is trying to destroy you. I mean c'mon. They are torching your restaurant, because they had issues with the PREVIOUS OWNER? Ridiculous. Fire bombs? That's got to a point where I'd say, grab your hunting rifle and go rabbit hunting. Or at least set fire to their place, since that seems to be okay in Sweden. Unless you feel like selling your restaurant and moving a few 100km to another city. Seems Swedish law leaves you with no option than to take matters into your own hands.

Thats a terrable, awful idea and is more likely to end with celem going to jail than anything good happening...

I didn't mean to distribute the videos.
Just the story of what happened.

Oh I see. Sounds good to me then.

[smjjames]

Sounds like some people being violently anti-immigrant, sad.