National Police Commissioner (Sweden)
| National Police Commissioner of the Swedish Police Authority
Rikspolischef | |
|---|---|
| Seat | Head office of the Swedish Police Authority, 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 |
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 Dan Eliasson, a lawyer and civil servant, who began serving January 1, 2015.[1]
The office was created with the establishment of the National Police Board and the nationalization of the Swedish police in 1965.[2] 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.[3] 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."[4][lower-alpha 1] 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.[3][4]
List of National Police Commissioners
The current Commissioner is Dan Eliasson, a lawyer and civil servant, who was appointed by the Minister for Home Affairs in November 2014, and began serving January 1, 2015. He had previously served as Director-General of the Swedish Social Insurance Agency.[1]
- List of commissioners
The following lists commissioners in chronological order:[2]
- Carl Persson (1964 – 1978)
- Holger Romander (1978 – 1987)
- Nils Erik Åhmansson (January, 1988 – October, 1988)
- Björn Eriksson (1988 – 1996)
- Sten Heckscher (1996 – 2004)
- Stefan Strömberg (2005 – 2007)
- Bengt Svenson (2008 – 2014)
- Dan Eliasson (2014 – present)
Notes
- ↑ See the official translation of the constitution at the Riksdag website: 1974 Instrument of Government, Chapter 12, Art. 5
References
- 1 2 Eichinger, Ronald (20 November 2014). "Dalabördig ny rikspolischef". Dalarnas Tidningar (in Swedish). Retrieved 17 August 2015.
- 1 2 "Rikspolisstyrelsen". Nationalencyklopedin (in Swedish). Retrieved 28 July 2015.
- 1 2 "SFS 1994:260 Lag om offentlig anställning" [Public Employment Act] (in Swedish). Government of Sweden. 28 April 1994. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
- 1 2 Österberg, Sven-Erik (23 November 2009). "Sverige förtjänar en professionell utnämningspolitik" (PDF) (in Swedish). Swedish Social Democratic Party. Retrieved 28 July 2015.