More than 20 knives have been confiscated in the capital in just under a month as a result of around 830 people being checked for weapons in special visitationszoner or “stop-and-search” zones.
The zones can be established by law authorities in response to violent crime. They allow police officers to stop people on the streets or in cars and check if they are carrying weapons without having to give any cause.
The current stop-and-search zone covers parts of the Nørrebro, Frederiksberg, and Nordvest neighbourhoods, with a second zone in place around the Holmbladsgade street in south Copenhagen district Amager, where banned crime gang Loyal To Familia (LTF) is known to have a stronghold.
They were put in place due to a recent spate of violent gang-related incidents, including one in which a 43-year-old man was shot and killed on Hans Tavsens Gade in Nørrebro. A woman who was passing by at the time was injured.
Police have justified the measure by citing the need to “contain the ongoing conflict between two gang groups.”
A gun has also been found during the searches, police have previously said.
Member comments