Today, Kroksbäck is being minded by two supervisors: Ralph Sandberg, 38, and Patrik Olsson, 52. The pair are getting ready next to a large yellow container where boards, helmets and pads are stocked. They’re both members of Bryggeriet, the “skateboard high-school”, which opened more than a decade ago and plays an important role in Malmö’s skate scene.

“I’ve been involved with Bryggeriet since 1996, when I was a kid,” says Ralph, a tall, tough-looking figure with a warm voice and a large machine gun tattooed on his forearm. “When I wasn’t at school, I’d help them with the park. And since this park opened, I’m here every weekday from three to five pm, from May to September.”

Normally, he explains, around 20 to 40 children come to the park each day, with the majority coming from Kroksbäck or nearby Lindängen. “We give them skateboards, teach them how to skate and we even help them with their lessons sometimes,” he says. “It’s not only about skateboarding because some kids don’t like to skate all the time; they want to do other things, too. It’s a time to hang out… And if you want to skate, you can skate.”

“I definitely see myself in these kids,” adds Patrik, himself a father of four. “We don’t care who you are or where you’re from. Everyone is equal. And if any problems arise, we sit down and talk, like in a school class. But we don’t have much trouble over here.”

Patrik’s statement may come as a surprise if you look at the local press coverage. Type ‘Kroksbäck’ into any search engine, and it’s likely you’ll only see stories of burning cars, shootings, waves of violence, or Chihuahuas being sold on the black market.

As a young city growing rapidly, Malmö has become emblematic of Sweden’s immigration policy, and is often scrutinised by the media – either to praise the way communities live together, or to stoke the paranoia surrounding acculturation.

With more than 50 per cent of its 300,000-plus residents having at least one parent born abroad, Malmö can be considered Sweden’s most multicultural city. According to national data from 2014, 14 per cent of the city’s inhabitants have originally come from countries outside of Sweden – the most represented being Iraq, Serbia, Denmark, Poland and Bosnia. Lebanon, Iran and Turkey follow closely behind.

Unfortunately, there is a growing hostility towards immigrants in the country, and it will no doubt play a role in this year's general elections, where the Sweden Democrats are on track to becoming the country’s second-most important political group. The far-right, openly anti-immigration party has already had some victories: while Sweden received over 160,000 asylum applications in 2015, it has since clamped down and opted for Europe’s lowest standards. In 2018, the country will only accept 14,000 asylum applications.

It doesn’t help that some parts of Malmö – including Kroksbäck and Lindängen – have been put on a police list of “vulnerable areas”. For many in the media, this list has been interpreted as a collection of “no-go zones” which police wouldn’t dare enter – though this is far from the truth. According to several officials, police and firefighters are even more present in these neighbourhoods. In fact, according to Sweden’s National Council on Crime Prevention, crimes are tackled faster there than in other areas.

“Two of the municipality’s most important tasks are to help people feel safe and secure in the city and ensure that Malmö’s residents feel involved and included,” reads the city’s website. “These tasks are mainly carried out in the daily work in schools and leisure and culture sectors, preferably in cooperation with civil society.”