4. Unlawful influence in the Danish justice sector

This chapter is based on research reports and academic articles on staff well-being among police personnel, prison staff, prosecutors and in relation to the gang Loyal to Familia. Moreover, reports from government agencies, including the Danish National Special Crime Unit, the Anti-Money Laundering Secretariat, the prison and probation service, and the Ministry of Justice, are included, along with statistics on reported offences against public officials. Finally, media coverage is used to provide a broader picture of the situation in Denmark.

4.1. Unlawful influence in Denmark

In 2024, the TV documentary “Den sorte svane” put unlawful influence by organised crime on the agenda in Denmark. The documentary depicts alliances between organised crime and respected and powerful persons (TV 2, 2025). The second season of the show, in 2025, depicted how the authorities themselves may be involved in problematic practices. The Danish Independent Police Complaints Authority initiated an investigation into possible criminal conduct by the police in relation to a number of the incidents depicted in the TV programme (Politiklagemyndigheden, 2025a). The documentary also caused public debate and resulted in a law change that obliged lawyers to provide necessary information to financial institutions about clients who have funds in pooled client accounts (Justitsministeriet, 2024). Politically, the primary focus became the economic aspects of unlawful influence. This has repeatedly been prioritised in Denmark’s approach to unlawful influence, as will be seen in the analysis of strategies (see chapter 8).

In late 2024, a proposal was put forward in the Danish Parliament to initiate reports similar to those published in Sweden: ”Möjliggörare för kriminella nätverk” (Brå, 2024) and ”Lägesbild över aktiva gängkriminella i Sverige” (Polismyndigheten, 2024). Although there was consensus in the parliament that a report on insiders in Denmark would be valuable, the proposal was rejected (Folketinget, 2025). No such investigation has been published to date.

The criminal activity of organised networks, including gangs, is described by the Danish National Special Crime Unit as harmful to society and a serious threat to the Danish state (NSK, 2025). According to the annual report from the National Special Crime Unit, organised criminals are increasingly making use of criminal services provided by individuals outside the traditional criminal environment. Monitoring of traditional gang- and biker-related crime, narcotics, weapons and explosives and economic crime remains the focus of prevention efforts. An exception is economic crime, where attention has shifted to professional advisers who assist organised criminals in laundering illicit proceeds.

A recent investigation by the Anti-Money Laundering Secretariat (Hvidvasksekretariatet, 2025), found that 15% of commercial, approved social residential facilities for children and adults have received at least five reports of potential money laundering and other economic crime in the past four years. These 46 facilities received over 2.7 billion DKK, more than 20% of the sector’s total funding from 2021–2024. Some networks linked to these facilities have ties to organised crime, such as invoice fraud schemes. The number of reports is unusually high compared to other sectors, placing these facilities among the 15 most reported out of nearly 600.

Since January 2025, Denmark’s prisons and other authorities are obliged to report to the Anti-Money Laundering Secretariat (Hvidvasksekretariatet, 2025). Efforts are underway to share information about financial flows to and from prisoners to combat economic crime.

Looking at the statistics, there have been no alarming changes in offences against public authorities in Denmark since 2017, although there were significant increases prior to 2017 (Danmarks statistik, 2025). When looking specifically at 2024, there were 2,607 victims of violence against public officials, while 3,006 were victims of threats of violence against public officials (Figure 2). In the years following 2020, reported threats and incidents of violence against public officials have increased. A noteworthy observation is that women and men in Denmark are equally likely to be victims of violence and threats in public service.

Figure 2. Victims of reported crimes against public officials in Denmark, 2017–2024.
Source: Statistics Denmark (2025).

There is no information regarding to what degree organised crime is behind these numbers. Research about unlawful influence by organised crime in the justice sector is therefore mostly in the form or personal experience, such as reports of an increasingly harsh environment in prisons due to gangs, or accounts of prison officers being approached by gang members outside of working hours (Larsen, Pejtersen, Bom, et al., 2020). Little is known about the frequency. A report on post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among police officers and prison staff mention a “widespread perception that work in the police and the correctional service has changed in character in recent years” and officials that are “increasingly exposed to unpleasant and violent incidents, face a general rise in work pressure, and have less time and fewer resources for collegial support and processing these events” (report authors’ translation; Larsen, Pejtersen, Berger, et al., 2020, p. 24).

4.2. The police

There is no openly available statistic concerning unlawful influence from organised crime within the police. Well-being surveys in the Danish Police and Prosecution Service in 2020, showed that about 25% had been subjected to harassment, threats or violence from a citizen or external partner in their work time, and 5% outside of work time during the last year (Larsen, Pejtersen, Bom, et al., 2020, p. 180). Charges of violence and threats against police officers in 2024 totalled 877 reported incidents of violence and 441 cases of threats (Figure 2). The share of police officers among all public officials facing violence and threats is notably lower than in the other Nordic countries. Already 10 years ago was it noted that the most frequent victims are social and healthcare assistants, nurses and doctors, while the police are less often affected (Jørgensen, 2014; Møllerhøj et al., 2016). The number of reported cases of threat and violence against police officers has been rather stable since 2017 (see Figure 2).

In recent years, Denmark has seen isolated instances of insider misconduct and corruption within the police force. In addition to the problems depicted in “Den sorte svane”, there have been cases of sharing confidential information from the police’s internal systems (Brix & Jørgensen, 2025), as well as providing false information about police operations in official reports and to colleagues (Politiklagemyndigheden, 2025b). However, these instances have only been reported individually and are not yet portrayed as part of any systematic pattern (forthcoming research, see Hestehave, 2025).

In a service review of legislative changes concerning gang crime, the Danish National Police assesses threats against witnesses as a continuous problem in gang-related criminal cases (Justitsministeriet, 2022). According to the police, threats against witnesses and a general fear of reprisals for testifying against gang members lead witnesses to refrain from reporting crimes and providing comprehensive statements to the police. Witnesses also tend to alter their statements during trials. The National Police assess that the increased penalties in this area probably do not increase witnesses’ willingness to testify, as a harsher sentence in itself does not provide witnesses with individual security against potential reprisals.

4.3. The prison and probation service

In 2018, a report was published examining violence and threats against employees in the Danish prison and probation service (Clausen & Bien, 2018). In the follow-up period covered by the report (2012–2017), approximately 10% of incidents of violence or threats against employees involved prisoners affiliated with a biker gang or street gang. Moreover, it was stated that those affiliated with a biker gang or street gang were slightly overrepresented in the statistics on violence and threats throughout the period.

An article based on court documents banning the gang Loyal to Familia (Møller, 2022) noted persistent violence and threats against prison staff and inmates since 2013. In response, prisons introduced special measures, including focus units for high-risk inmates, registration of suspected gang affiliations, and enhanced security protocols, such as a minimum of two staff members for interactions with Loyal to Familia prisoners, the use of stab-proof vests, and restrictions on inmate possessions. Because staff have been targeted outside of prisons, the security response included safety advice for staff off duty. The court cases describe Loyal to Familia–affiliated prisoners as more violent and demanding than biker gangs and suggest that related incidents may have been underreported.

Looking at general numbers of violence and threats against employees in the prison and probation system, 35% report having been subjected to threats at work and 11.5% subjected to violence at work in a well-being survey in 2018 (ref. in Larsen, Pejtersen, Bom, et al., 2020, p. 181). According to newer data from the prison and probation service in Denmark, 285 episodes where employees were subject to threats at work, and 134 episodes where employees were subject to violence at work occurred in 2024 (Kriminalforsorgen, 2025). There have not been any increases in these numbers in the last few years, rather an overall decrease since 2017.

4.3. Courts and prosecutors

Unlawful influence within Danish courts appears to have been addressed only sparsely. However, recent concern has been raised at the union level about the increasing harassment of court employees (HK Danmarks domstole, 2025). Due to the growing sense of insecurity, it has been proposed that employees’ names no longer appear in court correspondence and decisions. Organised crime was not mentioned as a primary reason, but rather harassment on social media.

Occupational mental health among Danish prosecutors has been examined (Vang, Hansen, et al., 2025; Vang, Hovman, et al., 2025). Although not specifically related to organised crime, Vang, Hansen, et al. (2025) estimated the occurrence of threats from clients or their relatives, exposure to violence and abusive behaviour from professional counterparts. The findings indicated that burnout was the most prominent concern among Danish prosecutors, while rates of secondary traumatisation and PTSD were generally low. Key correlates of burnout symptoms included quantitative demands, abusive behaviour from professional counterparts and the emotional impact of cases.

4.4. Summary

Overall, the extent of unlawful influence by organised crime in Denmark remains largely unknown. No publicly available indicators assessing such influence within the Danish justice system could be found. The reports from the police and the prison and probation service that address violence and threats against employees do not suggest an alarming situation or growing trends linked to organised crime. However, more up-to-date information is needed.