Copenhagen police extend stop-and-search zones amid ongoing gang conflict
The stop-and- search zones put in place in Christania and parts of Nørrebro and Nordvest in Copenhagen have been extended, Copenhagen Police said on Monday.
The stop-and-search ordinance has been extended in an effort to prevent further incidents in an ongoing conflict between the Hells Angels and Loyal to Familia crime gangs, police said in a press statement.
The ordinances will now be in place until at least 6pm on October 9th.
Additionally, a ban on the use of three Hells Angels clubhouses in the Copenhagen area has been extended. Police previously justified their closure by saying it prevents them from becoming a target for gang reprisals.
Since the zones were first put in place, police have searched around 650 persons and have found or confiscated 28 knives or other sharp weapons, issuing 20 charges related to illegal possession of weapons.
READ ALSO: Denmark to double drug penalties and close market in capital's 'Pusher Street'
The zones, which allow police to search individuals for weapons without any prior justification, are occasionally used in response to escalating gang violence.
An ongoing conflict between the gangs was connected to the fatal shooting last month of a 30-year-old gang member in Christiania.
“Members of the public in the affected areas and in the rest of the district should feel safe and secure. That is why we are continuing our efforts,” senior officer Søren Tomassen of Copenhagen Police said in the statement.
“With three closed clubhoiuses and two stop-and-search zones – where we are very visibly present – we are putting a marked pressure on the involved groups, because we eill not accept the violent incidents emanating from these circles,” he said.
The zones have been in place since August 28th and had been set to expire on September 26th.
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The stop-and-search ordinance has been extended in an effort to prevent further incidents in an ongoing conflict between the Hells Angels and Loyal to Familia crime gangs, police said in a press statement.
The ordinances will now be in place until at least 6pm on October 9th.
Additionally, a ban on the use of three Hells Angels clubhouses in the Copenhagen area has been extended. Police previously justified their closure by saying it prevents them from becoming a target for gang reprisals.
Since the zones were first put in place, police have searched around 650 persons and have found or confiscated 28 knives or other sharp weapons, issuing 20 charges related to illegal possession of weapons.
READ ALSO: Denmark to double drug penalties and close market in capital's 'Pusher Street'
The zones, which allow police to search individuals for weapons without any prior justification, are occasionally used in response to escalating gang violence.
An ongoing conflict between the gangs was connected to the fatal shooting last month of a 30-year-old gang member in Christiania.
“Members of the public in the affected areas and in the rest of the district should feel safe and secure. That is why we are continuing our efforts,” senior officer Søren Tomassen of Copenhagen Police said in the statement.
“With three closed clubhoiuses and two stop-and-search zones – where we are very visibly present – we are putting a marked pressure on the involved groups, because we eill not accept the violent incidents emanating from these circles,” he said.
The zones have been in place since August 28th and had been set to expire on September 26th.
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