Jerzy Sarnecki, professor of criminology at the University of Stockholm. Photo: Claudio Bresciani/Scanpix/TT

Lyssna: Jerzy Sarnecki: What?s more preventive is the probability of being caught

Sharpened penalties is one potential measure considered by the government against the recent arson attacks on cars in Swedish cities. But criminology professor Jerzy Sarnecky thinks this is unlikely to have a preventive effect.

Over the past few weeks there has been a large number of arson attacks on cars across Malmö and other Swedish cities, including Stockholm and Norrköping.

On Wednesday the Swedish government announced that it is reviewing a number of different options for...