Danish police are facing heavy criticism for their inconsistent handling of rape, violence, and stalking cases across different regions of Denmark.
Official documents and reports have revealed significant disparities in how different police departments in Denmark handle cases of violence, rape, and harassment.
Sharp criticism from reviewers
The General Audit Office (Rigsrevisionen) report was based on a review of thousands of cases, internal directives, and a survey of 4,117 police officers. It concluded that there were inappropriate practices in three areas: rape, stalking, and nightlife violence, with clear regional variations, according to DR.
Rape cases recorded
The report explained that between 2019 and the first half of 2025, police recorded 1,692 rape cases as "preliminary investigations" rather than "formal cases," even though regulations prohibit this except in rare instances. These cases represented 12 percent nationally, but reached 25 percent in the Fyn region.
Fyn Police Department Response
According to the source, Lise Vibe-Pedersen, Chief of Staff of the Von Police, stated that she was "very concerned" about these criticisms, and confirmed that the police had conducted an internal investigation into all the cases and continue to "take the necessary steps to ensure that thorough and effective investigations are carried out.".
Recording cases of nighttime violence
The Audit Office report noted that 8,029 cases of nightlife violence were recorded between 2019 and mid-2025, with 29 percent classified as "offenses to disturb the peace" rather than "violence." The percentages varied between regional police forces, reaching 38 percent in South and East Jutland compared to 21 percent in North Jutland.
Audit Bureau Recommendations
The report called on the Ministry of Justice to study these practices, particularly the tendency of some departments to treat cases of night violence more lightly than reality warrants, and to assess their compatibility with legal guarantees by initiating immediate investigations into all reports of violence and rape.
Identifying prosecution issues
There were 8,990 reports of stalking between 2019 and the first half of 2025, with 81 percent of these resulting in administrative restraining orders rather than formal stalking cases. This figure was 92 percent in the Copenhagen police and 57 percent in the Central and West Jutland police.
Focus on local practices
The report explained that the Copenhagen police have local instructions encouraging them to issue restraining orders rather than open formal prosecution cases, and the Court urged the Ministry of Justice to monitor the extent to which these practices comply with the new prosecution law that came into effect in 2022.
Seriousness of criticism at the national level
Rixpolity Police Chief Thorkild Fogde stated that he was "dissatisfied" with the regional disparities but believed they could not disappear entirely due to the distribution of resources and different tasks, such as hosting a European summit in Copenhagen. He confirmed that the police had launched a national analysis to review procedures and standardize controls.
The need to restore citizens' trust
Vogde stressed that the police will only regain public trust by conducting these internal analyses and following up on the implementation of the recommendations, as this is an essential part of their mission as a national body to ensure consistent standards in all regions of Denmark.
