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CRIME

17-year-old Bulgarian citizen shot dead at hairdressers in Copenhagen

Police in Copenhagen backtracked after first identifying the victim of Friday's shooting as a 17-year-old Swedish youth.

Published: 4 December 2021 11:39 CET
Updated: 5 December 2021 09:40 CET
17-year-old Bulgarian citizen shot dead at hairdressers in Copenhagen
Copenhagen police at the scene of Friday's shooting. Photo: Philip Davali/Ritzau Scanpix

Two men wearing black rain gear with the hoods pulled down opened fire at a hairdressers on Islev Torv in the Copenhagen suburb of Rødovre, shortly after midday on Friday.

A 15-year-old Danish boy, who police said was a pupil at a nearby school, and a 21-year-old man were also injured in the attack.

Police first said the 17-year-old boy was Swedish, but later said that he was in fact a Bulgarian citizen who had arrived in Scandinavia earlier this year. Swedish news agency TT reported it was not clear whether or not he had a connection to Sweden.

The attack came just a day after a man was shot in the back in the Copenhagen district of Nørrebro, with Danish police arresting two suspects an hour afterwards. One of those suspects was a 21-year-old man from Gothenburg, who has previously been jailed in Sweden.

Copenhagen police on Friday evening said in a press release that they considered the two shootings were gang related, and were imposing a “visitation zone”, around Rødovre and Herlev to prevent violent reprisals. 

“While we work hard to stop this and prosecute the culprits, our citizens must be able to feel safe where they live and move – and with a visitation zone, we make it harder for criminals to carry out their activities in the area,” said Police Director Kim Christiansen, Copenhagen West Region Police. 

Danish police have yet to arrest anyone for involvement in the second shooting, and are asking anyone who witnessed the event to come in to the mobile police station set up at the square, or to ring 004543861448. 

When an area is designated a “visitation zone”, police are empowered to carry out random inspections on anyone within the areas, checking their clothing, vehicles, and bodies. 

READ ALSO: 

Swedish gangs were behind the worst shooting seen in Copenhagen in 2019, when two members of the Shottaz gang from the troubled Stockholm suburb of Rinkeby were killed by a rain of bullets in the Copenhagen suburb of Herlev. 

In August last year, three men belonging to the rival Death Patrol from the same Stockholm suburb, were sentenced to 20 years in prison by a court in Glostrup, outside Copenhagen.

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POLICE

READER QUESTION: What powers do police have on the street in Denmark?

Police in Denmark can only stop and search members of the public without cause under special circumstances. What are the rules that apply?

Published: 9 September 2024 17:38 CEST
READER QUESTION: What powers do police have on the street in Denmark?

Copenhagen Police said last week that they had confiscated more than 20 knives in just under a month as a result of around 830 people being checked for weapons in special visitationszoner or “stop-and-search” zones.

Denmark’s laws allow these zones to be established by law authorities for a limited period in response to violent crime. They mean police officers can stop people on the streets or in cars and check if they are carrying weapons without having to give any cause.

READ ALSO: Danish police search 830 people in Copenhagen in less than a month

The Local was contacted by a reader who asked what police “may and may not do” in Denmark.

“For example, can they ask for ID, question you on the street, search you? Can people video in a public place?”, they wrote.

Asking for ID

Police don’t have the right to demand ID, but can ask for your name, address and date of birth, in accordance with paragraph 750 of Denmark’s Retsplejeloven or policing laws. You do not have to give your full CPR (personal registration) number if you have one, although you might be asked for it and see no reason not to give it.

If someone refuses to provide this basic information to the police or provides false information, they can be fined or punished.

It’s worth noting, though, that foreign residents of Denmark who have an opholdskort or residence card are technically required to carry it with them at all times.

READ ALSO: Can you travel in and out of Denmark if you lose your residence card?

The police can question members of the public, but individuals are not required to provide any statements, and no force can be used to compel someone to speak or answer questions. 

Searching

Police can search a person or their vehicle if they have “reasonable suspicion” that the person may have broken the law. They can only conduct a search without any cause if they are in a designated search area (visitationszone) as described above.

In non-visitationszoner, police need reasonable grounds to conduct a search. This can include visible illegal activity, smell of drugs, acting suspiciously or being in a location where drugs or weapons are known to be circulating.

Police may also search your vehicle if they suspect it contains illegal items, such as weapons or drugs, or if the vehicle is involved in a crime.

Detainment

Police in Denmark have the authority to detain individuals for questioning if they suspect the person has committed a crime. Detention without formal charges must be reviewed by a court (known as a grundlovsforhør) within 24 hours.

Police can issue on-the-spot fines for minor offences such as traffic violations and public disturbances, but must follow up with court procedure for serious matters.

All searches conducted by police must be recorded, as must preliminary charges (termed sigtelser), which mean you are under police suspicion. These preliminary charges, which police can give if they have “reasonable grounds” to suspect you have broken the law, enable them to carry out a search as described above.

You are not obliged by law to respond to police questions during these initial searches and proceedings. Once arrested, the police must inform you of your rights, which include the right to remain silent and the right to a lawyer.

Police must record searches and initial charges including the time and circumstances of the interaction, allowing a member of the public to later file a complaint if they believe police did not act correctly.

Video recording in public spaces

Members of the public have the right to film or photograph in public spaces, including police officers, as long as they do not interfere with police work. Denmark does not have laws that prohibit filming law enforcement as long as the filming does not obstruct the officers in their duties.

If police deem that filming obstructs their work or invades the privacy of others, they can ask individuals to stop. Recording police actions from a distance without interference should generally be allowed.

In 2021, Copenhagen Police commented after media reported, based on video evidence, that some officers had threatened members of the public with being arrested if they filmed them.

“Based on the recordings presented to us, we have decided to clarify the rules on this area to all employees. As a starting point, there is no basis for charging a person who is passively filming… a police officer on duty,” Copenhagen Police told newspaper Berlingske.

Complaints

Members of the public can file complaints with the independent Police Complaints Authority (Den Uafhængige Politiklagemyndighed) if they believe the police have misused their power or acted unlawfully. You should provide a case number when filing the complaint, if you have one.

Complaints can also be filed at local police stations.

As a member of the public, you have the right to complain about both the conduct of the police and the basis on which they took their decisions – meaning, for example, how they may have justified carrying out a search. In the later case, the complaint may mean you believe a police officer has broken the law.

The Police Complaints Authority handles the case differently depending on whether it relates to a conduct issue or a potential criminal act.

Are there any further questions relating to this article you’d like us to answer? Let us know in the comments.

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