Sounding like they come from a novel by George Orwell or Franz Kafka, the rather niche section of the Stockholm Police evocatively named The Dialogue Police are actually a special unit whose well-intentioned mission is to strengthen democracy and ensure the right of all citizens to say what they want.
Established after the Gothenburg protests during the 2001 EU summit, the team’s task is to prevent riots and uphold the constitutionally protected rights to freedom of expression and the freedom to demonstrate. Dressed as informally as possible – though always wearing a luminous jacket with the words ‘Dialogue Police’ on them – their special ability is to remain gently patient as they aim to quell anger and frustration from protestors through listening and dialogue.
Susanna Edwards’ The Dialogue Police (Dialogpolisen) is a classic fly-on-the-wall film as it follows the team – Anna, Calle, Jimmy, Johan, Erik, Nicole and Semsi – as they mediate between the public and the protest organisers (and sometimes their own colleagues in the police) and try to explain to passers-by why everyone has the right to raise their voice in public.
The film opens with an apt quote by Albert Einstein, stating: “Peace cannot be kept by force, it can only be achieved by understanding.” It then sets about following the team – whose Nicole, a newcomer to the squad, is on secondment – as they deal with a wide variety of demonstrators out on the streets of Stockholm. They range from anti-Muslim protesters and forthright political speakers through to climate activists who have glued themselves to the asphalt.
Some get angry or frustrated with the Dialogue Police, demanding to know “are you the real police?” while others shout and rail at perceived injustices. At times they have to deal with a melting pot of different groups – shot in 2022 it includes some shouting ’no to the vaccine pass, yes to freedom’ while others peacefully chain themselves to their bicycles.
In conversation they commit to listening, but will not give their own opinions, stressing to those who ask that they are police who follow Swedish law. When climate protestors close a road, one of them has to face up to an angry diver late for an appointment (who proceeds to run over the officer in an attempt to get by). While at the Iranian Embassy there is a back and forth between different groups as the Dialogue Police try to keep things calm. At one point Nicole admits, “it is the most complex work I have ever done” and at one point is forced to tackle a demonstrator even though she is not really supposed to intervene physically.
Later they have to don flak jackets and get armed (cue tense and dramatic music) when dealing with potential violent protests surrounding Rasmus Paludan, a Danish-Swedish politician and lawyer and founder/leader of the far-right nationalist Danish political party Stram Kurs.
They are well aware that their presence could lead to mistrust if they start to intervene early and profile protestors, and in one sequence seem at odds with their uniformed colleagues about how they treat some protestors. They admit they sometimes don’t recognise the behaviour of the uniformed officers at one protest where their response was “unnecessarily irritable”.
It is a fascinating film, and impressively immersive as the camera follows the team as they try and take a calm and balanced stance, often in the face of belligerence, anger and frustration from all sides of the various debates.
Sweden, 2025, 90mins
Dir: Susanna Edwards
Scr: Susanna Edwards, Martin Bengsson
Production: Siren Film
International sales: Film Harbour
Producer: Susanna Edwards, Anita Oxburgh
Cinematography: Ivan Blanco, Susanna Edwards, Ellinor Hallin, Markus Jordö, Sara Montoya Sepulveda, Siri Pårup, Martin von Krogh
Editors: Stefan Sundlof, Magnus Svensson
Music: Haldan E
