National Police Commissioner (Sweden)

Head of the Swedish Police Authority

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National Police Commissioner of the Swedish Police Authority
Rikspolischef
Epaulette worn for the grade of National Police Commissioner (post-2015)
Incumbent Petra Lundh since 1 December 2023
Reports to	Government of Sweden
Seat	Polishuset, Kungsholmen, Stockholm
Appointer	Government of Sweden
Term length	6 years option to extended up to 3 years
Formation	1965
First holder	Carl Persson
Deputy	Head of the National Operations Department
Website	Official website

The National Police Commissioner of Sweden (Swedish: rikspolischef) is the head of the Swedish Police Authority, appointed by the Government, responsible for all activities of the police. The current Commissioner is Petra Lundh, who began serving December 1, 2023.

Role

The office was created with the establishment of the National Police Board and the nationalization of the Swedish police in 1965.^[1] The Commissioner is appointed by the Government for a period of six years, with an option to extend, but as a rule for no more than three years. The person holding the office must be a Swedish citizen.^[2] Beyond that, the Government has considerable latitude in the recruitment of a new Commissioner, as the only legal framework is a single article in the constitution, leaving wide room for interpretation: "Appointments to posts at administrative authorities [organized] under the Government are made by the Government [...] When making appointments to posts within the State administration, only objective factors, such as merit and competence, shall be taken into account."^[3]^[a] The government has the power to dismiss a Commissioner for "extraordinary" and serious reasons, or if it's "in the nation's best interest." The Commissioner may also be reassigned to a different post, if called for due to organizational change, but only after a court decision.^[2]^[3]

List of National Police Commissioners

The current Commissioner is Petra Lundh.

List of commissioners

The following lists commissioners in chronological order:^[1]

1964–1978: Carl Persson
1978–1987: Holger Romander
January 1988 – October 1988: Nils Erik Åhmansson
1988–1996: Björn Eriksson
1996–2004: Sten Heckscher
2005–2007: Stefan Strömberg
2008–2014: Bengt Svenson
2014–2018: Dan Eliasson
2018–2023: Anders Thornberg
2023–present: Petra Lundh

Notes

^ See the official translation of the constitution at the Riksdag website: 1974 Instrument of Government, Chapter 12, Art. 5

References

^ ^a ^b "Rikspolisstyrelsen". Nationalencyklopedin (in Swedish). Retrieved 28 July 2015.
^ ^a ^b "SFS 1994:260 Lag om offentlig anställning" [Public Employment Act] (in Swedish). Government of Sweden. 28 April 1994. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
^ ^a ^b Österberg, Sven-Erik (23 November 2009). "Sverige förtjänar en professionell utnämningspolitik" (PDF) (in Swedish). Swedish Social Democratic Party. Retrieved 28 July 2015.