Post: | National Police Commissioner |
Body: | the Swedish Police Authority |
Native Name: | Rikspolischef |
Insignia: | Swedish-police-rank-new-01.svg |
Insigniasize: | 100 px |
Insigniacaption: | Epaulette worn for the grade of National Police Commissioner (post-2015) |
Incumbent: | Petra Lundh |
Incumbentsince: | 1 December 2023 |
Reports To: | Government of Sweden |
Seat: | Polishuset, Kungsholmen, Stockholm |
Appointer: | Government of Sweden |
Termlength: | 6 years |
Termlength Qualified: | option to extended up to 3 years |
Formation: | 1965 |
First: | 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.
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] 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.
The current Commissioner is Petra Lundh.