A nationwide pause on Danish child certificates has left Gellerupbadet in Aarhus without enough lifeguards, forcing the pool to close to the public from Sunday.
An error in the Criminal Register means municipalities currently cannot obtain the legally required child certificates for new hires, DR reports. At Gellerupbadet in Aarhus, the freeze has left the swimming pool short of lifeguards.
The pool will remain available to schools and sports clubs, but closes to the general public from Sunday. Heidi Frostholm, head of Sport and Leisure in Aarhus Municipality, said she hopes the problem is resolved as quickly as possible.
Rigspolitiet suspended the issuing of child certificates last week. According to a statement published on politi.dk on September 3, 2026, the national police had identified a deletion error in the Criminal Register.
The error means data was deleted, so information relevant to a certificate may not appear. Rigspolitiet also paused weapons permits while the scope is investigated, per the same statement. The force told DR it stands by its forecast that the problem will be fixed within one to two weeks.
Daycare shifts under pressure
In Randers, the municipality is struggling to make daycare shift plans work, according to municipal director Jesper Kaas Schmidt. He said the municipality is relying on substitutes it already knows.
That solution is not sustainable over time, he said. If the situation continues beyond 14 days, operations could be affected.
Copenhagen is also feeling the effects. The city’s mayor for children and youth, Jakob Næsager of the Conservative People’s Party, told Ritzau that the situation remains critical. It becomes more critical with every week that passes, he said.
The timing is difficult for the capital, because the municipality uses many young pedagogical assistants who work until they begin their studies in early September. As in Randers, substitutes already registered in the system are carrying the load for now.
Næsager said Copenhagen can manage this way during September. There are limits to how many months the municipality can keep leaning on its substitutes, he said.
Child certificates are mandatory in Denmark for new hires who work with children, covering roles from daycare staff to lifeguards and sports club employees. Until the register error is corrected, municipalities cannot complete those checks, and the child permits remain paused.
Aarhus, Randers and Copenhagen are the municipalities that have described concrete consequences so far. Rigspolitiet has not announced a new deadline beyond its original one to two week estimate.
