Swedish police will no longer be able to give descriptions of alleged criminals for fear of being seen as racist.

According to an internal letter, police in capital city Stockholm are instructed to refrain from describing suspects' race and nationality, according to news website Speisa.

Local newspaper Svenska Dagbadet reported it had seen the letter, which it said outlined how officers should now notify the public of crimes.

The crimes “involve everything from lighter traffic accidents to serious crimes like muggings, beatings and murder,” the paper reported.

The letter specifies that, for everyday crimes such as burglary, basic information such as ethnicity, nationality, skin colour and height should not be given.

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It was written by Stockholm police press officers Wolf Gyllander and Carina Skagerlind, and said crimes should be reported externally via the police website, without descriptions.

“We want to avoid pointing out ethnic groups as criminal,” said Mr Gyllander.

Sepesia reported the letter read: “Criticism is sometimes made against police regarding information about people’s skin colour. It is perceived as racist.

“As police are not racist, nor shall be constructed as so, this directive now applied.”