Ministry of Justice: Electronic ankle bracelet and increased surveillance cameras as part of the “Denmark is safe for all” initiative”

According to a statement released by the Danish Ministry of Justice on Monday, all Danes should be able to move freely and safely in their daily lives. Therefore, Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard presented 15 initiatives aimed at reducing insecurity where it is most prevalent in public spaces and taking further action against behaviors that cause insecurity. Among other things, the police will be empowered to issue residence bans for individuals deemed a threat, and a fund will be established for the installation of security cameras in municipalities.

According to BT, what is most surprising is that the police will be able to issue a ban on the presence of people who exhibit unsafe behavior – even without the person having been convicted of anything.

In 2020, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen started a debate about insecurity on the railways caused by young people – or rather, by the children of immigrants, according to BT. Following this, a number of measures were launched to reassure people.

In a question from BT to Danish Justice Minister Peter Hommelgaard, which stated: “Immigrants of non-Western origin represent a large proportion of violent crimes, which contributes to insecurity. Why don’t you deport criminals instead?” Hommelgaard replied: “I believe that a ban on residency can help prevent crime. In addition, the government is very interested in deporting people who commit serious criminal offenses.”.

During the current parliamentary session, the government will submit a draft law to implement the initiatives contained in the proposal that require legislative amendment. The measures are expected to come into effect on July 1, 2025.

Denmark is a safe society, but in many areas, safety is unevenly distributed. A higher percentage of women than men feel unsafe in certain types of places, such as backyards, alleys, and tunnels, as well as on tracks and at train stations. The percentage of citizens who feel safe in their neighborhood varies across police districts and municipalities, and fewer people in particularly vulnerable residential areas feel safe in their neighborhoods compared to the rest of the country.

The government will take action regarding this distortion, and accordingly, within the framework of the “Safe Denmark for All” proposal, Justice Minister Peter Hommelgaard is presenting 15 concrete initiatives that will maintain and enhance security throughout society. Among other things, the police should have the power to issue residence bans for individuals who exhibit behavior that creates insecurity. In addition, funds will be allocated to enable municipalities to install more surveillance cameras in public spaces, and more security guards and increased monitoring will be deployed on trains and at train stations.

Statement by Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard, according to a statement from the Ministry of Justice:

Although Denmark is a safe country, the feeling of security is unfortunately not evenly distributed. We need to do something about this. Because security shouldn't be a matter of chance, like winning a lottery. Where you live or who you are shouldn't determine whether you feel safe or not. That's why we're allocating funds, among other things, to enable municipalities to install more surveillance cameras in public spaces, deploy more security guards, and increase monitoring on trains and at train stations. In addition, with the stay ban, we're giving the police a new tool to take action against groups loitering in the streets and harassing innocent citizens. The right to security applies to everyone, and with this new security package, we're taking another important step to ensure that everyone in Denmark can move around freely and safely.

Campaign initiatives

The proposal includes 15 initiatives aimed at maintaining and enhancing security in all parts of Danish society:

• A stay ban should create local security.
• Disruptive youths should be kept away from unsafe areas.
• Surveillance cameras in municipalities
• Expanding housing associations' access to video surveillance
• Expanding municipalities' access to video surveillance around residential areas
• Media campaign about evicting troublesome tenants
• Enhanced real-time monitoring at train stations
• Increase the number of security guards at train stations and on trains
• Harsher penalties for acts of vandalism such as graffiti
• Exclude sex offenders from nightlife
• Longer ban on criminal nightlife
• Double fine in nightlife areas
• Denying individuals against whom restrictive orders have been issued the right to obtain a firearms permit.
• Increased use of restraint orders to protect victims
• Electronic control experience as a complement to the residence ban (reverse ankle bracelet Omvendt fodlænke)

The statement has ended.

Explanation: “The reverse ankle bracelet Omvendt fodlænke” means that instead of recording when the person wearing the bracelet leaves their home, it records when the person approaches a specific geographic area. The ankle bracelet with GPS was designed for people who were convicted, for example, of intimate partner violence and stalking, and were therefore prohibited from approaching a specific geographic area.