The King of Sweden meets with the new head of security police

The Swedish Royal Family has recently devoted a lot of time to shedding light on the Swedish police force.

On 25 January, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden gave an audience at the Royal Palace to Charlotte von Essen, who is the new head of the Swedish Security Police.

The audience provided Charlotte von Essen with the opportunity to speak to the King in her new role and discuss current issues the Security Police is dealing with. She became the Chief of the Swedish Security Police on 1 October 2021. Previously, she was Deputy Chief of the Swedish Security Police.

Under the Ministry of Justice, the Swedish Security Service is responsible for counter-espionage and counter-terrorism tactics; they investigate terrorism and national security threats. They also are known to be in charge of the protection of dignitaries in Sweden.

The police’s intelligence work has also become more relevant for the royals in recent weeks as drones were spotted flying over two royal residences. This is now being investigated by the Swedish Security Police.

Prince Daniel of Sweden, husband to Crown Princess Victoria, has been devoting time and resources to supporting the Swedish police.

In December 2021, Prince Daniel accompanied the police patrol in Skarholmen – a small district in Stockholm – during one of their evening and night shifts. In addition, in October, he attended a ceremony to honour police officers who had died in the line of duty.