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CRIME

Reported rapes in Denmark double in two years

A record 744 rapes were reported in Denmark last year, doubling the number of reports in 2014 according to figures from Statistics Denmark that were first reported by Metroxpress.

Published: 1 February 2017 11:44 CET
Reported rapes in Denmark double in two years
The Danish National Police plan a campaign later this year to encourage more rape victims to speak out. Photo: Rigspolitiet
According to a consultant to the Danish National Police, the sharp increase is due in part to police districts better recording rape reports. 
 
“We are very pleased that we now have more accurate numbers on how many men and women have reported rapes. Previously there were many cases that were treated under the category of ‘investigation numbers’ that did not get included in the statistics of reported rapes,” Thomas Brædder told Metroxpress. 
 
Last year it was reported that an investigation by the Ministry of Justice indicated that as many as 700 rape cases per year were being filed incorrectly by police. 
 
The majority of the ‘missing' reports were hidden in police statistics by giving them investigation numbers that did not classify them as rape cases. A number of police departments confirmed to Metroxpress that this was standard practice in cases where there was doubt as to whether a rape had actually occurred.
 
That practice was discontinued in November 2015, so the 2016 rape report figures from Statistics Denmark represent the first full year under the improved reporting. 
 
But there are still concerns that the official figures only paint a partial picture. According to Metroxpress, a new study is underway to determine how many rapes go unreported in Denmark each year. 
 
“We are preparing to make a study on the number of rapes and sexual assaults so that we can put an actual figure on the extent. There are a number of cases in which the victim believes that she has been subjected to an assault but doesn’t believe that anything criminal has occurred,” Marie Heinskou, a professor at the University of Copenhagen who is involved with the coming study, told Metroxpress. 
 
Brædder said that the Danish National Police also plans a public information campaign later this year that will encourage more rape victims to speak out. 
 
“We know that there are a number of victims who for a variety of reasons never go to the police. We would like to speak with them,” he said. 
 
Here are the number of reported rapes over the past six years according to Statistics Denmark:
 
2011: 392
2012: 364
2013: 339
2014: 365
2015: 419
2016: 744

CRIME

Why Copenhagen police say crime is on the up in Christiania

Crime in Copenhagen’s hippie enclave of Christiania is increasing, police in the capital say following a number of drugs-related arrests.

Published: 27 March 2023 13:57 CEST
Why Copenhagen police say crime is on the up in Christiania

Copenhagen Police arrested three men on Saturday for selling cannabis on Pusher Street in the alternative enclave of Christiania, as they continue their efforts to stamp out the area’s former open-air cannabis market. 

According to police, 875 people were arrested for selling cannabis in the first 11 months of 2022, more than in any other year over the past four years. 

A possible explanation for the increase in arrests could be that the rewards for operating hash stands have receded, according to a police spokesperson.

“It is extremely unattractive to stand out there, and therefore a lot of new people come in who have no idea what it is all about. Many of them come from outside the catchment area, and some of them are peripherally associated with a criminal group,” Simon Hansen, head of a Copenhagen Police special unit, told newspaper Politiken.

“It’s a bit – in inverted commas – ‘easier’ for us to catch these people,” he said. 

Around half of the stalls in the street are linked to various gangs and biker gangs, such as Satudarah, Bandidos, Hells Angels and Loyal To Familia, with the rest run by people living in Christiania, the Berlingske newspaper reported earlier this month.

The trend of rising crime occurs against a background of potential housing develop in Christiania, as the enclave’s residents decide on a plan to put affordable housing in the area.

Copenhagen Police last year told news wire Ritzau that the majority of people who are arrested within Christiania come from socially underprivileged or marginalised backgrounds.

They are exploited in gang and biker circles, resulting in them in some cases operating the illicit hash market stalls, according to the police.

Conflicts between organised crime groups have reportedly become more frequently aired in the Pusher Street market.

READ ALSO: Denmark’s ‘freetown’ Christiania hangs onto soul, 50 years on

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