Danish police have suspended the issuing of children’s certificates after an error in the Central Criminal Register, and day care organizations say new hires are now on hold.
Rigspolitiet is currently unable to issue børneattester, the certificates required when associations and institutions take on staff or volunteers who work with children. DR reports that the pause follows a fault in the register, where earlier convictions may have been deleted from a person’s criminal record too early. The problem became public on Thursday.
The certificate is intended to ensure that people convicted of abuse against children are not employed in roles involving children. Rasmus Kjeldahl, director of the children’s rights organization Børns Vilkår, said he is deeply worried about the situation. He added that many details remain unclear and that clarification is urgent.
Recruitment paused in day care sector
Tanja Krabbe, general secretary of Daginstitutionernes Lands-Organisation, said her members cannot hire while valid certificates are unavailable. Recruitment has therefore been put on hold, and institutions must call in more substitutes until permanent staff can be appointed. She said she was glad the police informed the sector quickly.
According to DR, Rigspolitiet stated on Thursday that it has identified 48 cases from 2021 onward that were deleted too early by mistake. The police also checked whether children’s certificates had been issued in any of those 48 decisions. That was not the case.
Krabbe said this means any doubt would concern very old certificates, and that recent hires can be considered safe. She stressed that there must never be the slightest doubt about the documents. She said the sector expects the police to follow up quickly.
Police say a fix may take weeks
Daginstitutionernes Lands-Organisation has been told by the police that it may take up to a couple of weeks before the error is resolved. National police commissioner Lasse Boje said on Thursday that the fault probably concerns a limited number of cases. He also said the uncertainty alone is serious.
Department head Niklas Velling Johansen said in a written reply to DR that Rigspolitiet is aware the suspension creates challenges for associations and institutions. He said the police are doing everything they can to find a solution so certificates can be issued again. DR requested an interview about whether a temporary fix is coming and when a permanent one is expected, and the police did not answer either question.
Kjeldahl said he hopes the error has had no consequences for children, but that it potentially means convicted offenders could have come to work with children. He noted that the system was built to prevent exactly that. Rigspolitiet is responsible for the Central Criminal Register, a system separate from the child welfare casework handled by municipalities.
Kjeldahl also said a clean certificate can never stand alone, because it only describes the past. Any organization working with children and young people needs daily safeguards against abuse and grooming, he said.
