Surveillance cameras to be installed at Swedish festival to combat sexual harassment

Police in Gothenburg, western Sweden, have decided to install surveillance cameras in the city center during a major culture festival taking place this month in order to detect sexual assaults.

More police officers will also be posted at the festival this year in order to deal with reports quicker and on site. In addition, festival organizers and staff members have also undergone training in how to assist sexual assault victims, according to local media.

The initiatives follow reports of a hike in sexual assaults at festivals across Sweden.

"Considering all the police reports of sexual assaults recently, both in this country and abroad, the police authority has decided to make use of current legislation that enables us to use camera surveillance," Jonas Bergqvist, who heads police operations during the Gothenburg Culture Festival, told local newspaper Goteborgsposten.

Speaking to a local radio station, the festival's press spokesperson Fredrik Beckman said: "Considering the discussions around festivals and events earlier this year, we think it's good that we're proactive. We haven't had these kinds of problems before and we haven't seen these kinds of reports at the Gothenburg Culture Festival."

Beckman added: "Instead of waiting to see if it happens, we think it's important to take these kinds of issues seriously."

The surveillance cameras will be placed at two major squares - Gotaplatsen och Kungstorget - which attract the largest crowds during the six-day long street festival.

The purpose is to prevent crime but also to increase the possibilities of investigating any crimes committed at the festival, which is an annual event.

Last year, there were six reported cases of sexual assault. Two were rapes that apparently took place at a restaurant and at a hotel.

"My impression is that the festival itself is a pleasant event and the sexual-assault reports we received last year concerned incidents that took place at locations that I cannot link to the festival," said Bergqvist.

Bergqvist said the Gothenburg police is counting on receiving more reports this year since more people have become aware of the problem of sexual harassment and are less likely to accept it.

This year's edition of the Gothenburg Culture Festival is expected to attract 1.5 million visitors and will feature concerts, street theater, film screenings, art shows and more. The festival kicks off on August 16. It has been held in the city center of Gothenburg - Sweden's second largest city - since 1991.

Source : XINHUA