Denmark’s Ministry of Justice has sent a bill on tougher penalties for crime committed to order into public consultation, as police report 79 new charges so far this year.
The ministry announced the figures on Monday, September 14, alongside the consultation. As DR reports, police raised 79 new charges between January and the end of July concerning the phenomenon known as “Violence as a Service.”
In total, 316 charges have been raised from April 2024 through the end of July this year, according to the national police unit NSK. The Ministry of Justice put that number at 237 in January, as stated in February.
Justice Minister Nicolai Wammen of the Social Democrats said in a statement that the government intends to tighten the screws on the gangs. Per Wammen, the government will not tolerate that children and young people are recruited into a life of crime, or that residential areas are marked by fear, control and parallel power structures.
What the bill proposes
The bill would raise sentences for crime committed to order. It would also place criminal families on the same legal footing as gangs under Danish law.
A new provision in the criminal code is also planned. According to the ministry, it is meant to make it easier to convict people who assist the organizers behind such crimes with smaller favors.
The proposal covers several other areas as well. Among them is the option to introduce background checks for port workers.
Penalties would also rise for people who breach a residence ban, known in Danish as an opholdsforbud. Police have recorded a large increase in that type of violation, DR reports.
A residence ban can be imposed on people who have committed crime in a gang context. It means the person may not stay in a specific area, a part of a city or a municipality, for a set period of time.
A breach currently carries a fine of 10,000 kroner. Under the bill, it would instead carry 30 days in prison.
The bill runs to 162 pages. The judges’ association Dommerforeningen, lawyers, the police and a range of other parties can now submit their objections or concerns during the consultation period.
