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Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard (S) and Sweden’s Minister of Justice, Gunnar Strömmer, have agreed on a joint declaration between the countries following a series of recent cases involving Swedish teenagers as mercenaries for gangs in Denmark.
Peter Hummelgaard said this at a subsequent press conference on Wednesday in Copenhagen.
“Unfortunately, we know it well. The gangs’ propensity for violence knows no boundaries. Therefore, our response must be strong and coordinated,” he said.
Denmark and Sweden want to, among other things, strengthen cooperation with third countries where masterminds in gang conflicts are hiding.
This is to ensure that more people are extradited to Denmark and Sweden so that “the masterminds can be held accountable for their actions.”
Peter Hummelgaard does not specify which countries are being referred to.
According to police chief Thorkild Fogde, it could “in the worst case” be areas such as northern Iraq and Syria, where “normal law and order do not prevail.”
“Such white spots on the world map can be very difficult for authorities to reach into,” says Fogde after the press conference.
He further states that some of the masterminds do not stay permanently in another country.
“And it is when these wanted individuals move around that the opportunity sometimes arises for Interpol to issue an alert on them and get them arrested.”
The police are also working on having an overview of where the most wanted individuals in Denmark are located abroad, according to the police chief.
The joint declaration also includes an “intensified effort” to stop the gangs’ recruitment of young people through social platforms.
“It is frightening that one can be so cynical as to exploit children and young people to commit attacks,” says Hummelgaard.
At the press conference, the Swedish Minister of Justice said that Sweden takes the development on social platforms “very seriously and reacts with full force.”
Gunnar Strömmer also said that Sweden, among other things, will crack down harder on “severe violence” with Denmark’s gang packages as a model.
The recent violent cases involving Swedish involvement in the criminal environment in Denmark have also led Hummelgaard to increase control over the border with Sweden.
Among other things, more police have been deployed on the Øresund trains, while the police have also gained more tools for license plate recognition.
According to Hummelgaard, since April of this year, there have been 25 incidents where criminal groups in Denmark have hired young Swedes to commit crimes. He said this on August 8.