Police in Sweden have retracted their “unfortunate” advice that women should not go out alone after dark.

Local police in Malmö made a public statement saying women should stay indoors when it gets dark following the rape of a 17-year-old girl.

The incident occurred after midnight as the victim walked through a playground area and is the third attack of its kind in the Swedish city of Malmö in the last few weeks.

It is thought there is no direct link between any of the cases and police are currently investigating all of the incidents.

The police officer in charge of the investigation, Anders Nilsson, was quoted in Swedish media saying that women should only go out in pairs or in large groups after darkness, according to the Local.

Malmö police have now issued a formal statement retracting the remarks and said they were “unfortunate and unclear”.

A Malmö police press spokesperson said that the public should “live their lives as usual” and “not give into fear”.

No CCTV images of the incident were captured but police have secured forensic and mobile phone evidence.

Independent News Service