Because crime in Sweden has increased markedly and continuously since the beginning of the 1950's, a national crime prevention program has been developed to intensify crime prevention work throughout the country and to encourage the involvement of municipal authorities, organizations, and private citizens.The national strategy is based on the beliefs that social problems created by crime must be attacked by a broad policy on crime and that crime causes must be tackled locally where the problems exist. The national strategy is comprised of three parts: (1) government authorities will give increased attention to the way in which general social developments and political decisions on matters other than crime policy exert an influence on criminality; (2) legislation and the work of authorities in the field of crime policy will be developed and made more effective; and (3) measures will be taken to support and promote citizen involvement and the collaboration of authorities, companies, organizations, and individuals in local crime prevention work. Sweden's national crime prevention strategy is regarded as the start of a broad-based initiative to create opportunities for long-term and tenable crime prevention work in all parts of society. In a discussion of government responsibility for crime policy, the focus is on penal system reform, intensive supervision with electronic monitoring, young offenders, weapon possession and use, victim support, violence against women, problem-oriented policing, drug smuggling, alcohol and drug use, crime prevention in schools, and economic crime.