by Jack Edstrand

Created on: June 24, 2008   Last Updated: June 30, 2008

Several male nurses in the Forensic Psychiatric hospital of Sundsvall, Sweden, get serious warnings

The Forensic Psychiatric hospital facility is where some of Swedens most dangerous and violent, convicted men are serving their sentences for murders and rape etc. Among the hospitals patients is the nations former Foreign Minister Anna Lindhs killer to be
found. One of the nurses knocked a colleague unconscious after a pub-crawl, another one ended up in a intoxicated row with a police patrol and a third nurse from the Forensic clinic shouted out racial and homophobic statements when he was thrown out from the local casino.

- The occurred is extremely serious and compromising for our sphere of activities, says the chief of the department, Erik Sderberg.
Three of the nurses recently got their "sentences" from the board of the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital; two of them was warned considerably in writing.
- In fact we consider their actions as enough reason for dismissal, but they will remain on duty until further notice, emphasizes Sderberg.
In addition to the documented warnings and threatening dismissals the board of the clinic has issued demands on rehabilitation for the male nurses obvious addictions.
- It is our duty to care for and rehabilitate the convicted patients in the clinic but it seems necessary to take the same responsibility for our staff, states Erik Sderberg.
The decision about the sanctions against psychiatric nurses was made by board of the clinic, representatives from the county council and the union. The chief of the department, Erik Sderberg, describes it "as a premonition of a written warning" - the formal rules gives the nurses a week to make a petition for reconsideration.
Erik Sderberg have notified the punished personnel through particular interviews and "made them aware of the seriousness of the matter". Here is the background:
A 51 year old employee was earlier convicted of assault and battery. The victim was one of the mans colleagues and the 51 year old nurse was sentenced to community service. The colleague was knocked unconscious and defenceless on the ground victim of several punches. The suspected nurse defense was: "He said my wife was a whore". The violent 51 year old man is now internally convicted, who is a permanent employee of the Forensic Psychiatric clinic since many years, to rehabilitation for whats described as "addiction problems", or alcoholism in common parlance.
A 26 year old male, a temporary nurse in the same department, has also worked extra as a deputy patrolman was earlier this year arrested after a drunken quarrel outside the city hall in Sundsvall. The 26 year old nurse behaved arrogant towards the police patrol, according to the officers and arrest guard on duty at the time. They were forced to handcuff the aggressive man.
The nurse was permanently relieved from his duties as a night guard and patrolman, since the 26 year old was considered unsuitable for guard-duty involving maintaining peace and order outside pubs and restaurants weekend nights.
The third investigated male nurse from the psychiatric hospital has also been working extra as patrolman on weekends and several times put himself into drunken shame while visting different establishments. Among several occasions theres one in particular documented in the nurse file, where witnesses claimes that the nurse threatened other guests by the gambling table at the local casino
with remarks as "arab pigs" or "queers" and similar lowering judgements. The nurse was thrown out of the casino. The "conviction" for the two nurses is written warnings.
If the male nurses repeat their crimes or/and unacceptable behavior?
- If that happens they will immediately be fired, assures Erik Sderberg.

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