Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard stated that he “does not rule out anything” on preventing Swedish teenagers from entering Denmark in response to their growing involvement in criminal activities in his country.
The minister told Danish TV2 on Wednesday that border controls could be organised across the Øresund Strait separating Copenhagen from the southern metropolis and Sweden’s third-largest city, Malmö.
If the police assess that due to the situation, there is a need to use completely new tools for a shorter or longer period of time, then I think we should definitely be open to that.
The statement came after Swedish police arrested a man and a woman aged 24 on Tuesday, 6 August. They are believed to be behind an explosion at a kiosk in Copenhagen. This is the fourth case in a week related to crossing the Øresund Strait.
Swedish youths have allegedly been involved in shootings in Denmark three times in the past week, which Hummelgaard describes as a “huge challenge.”
All these incidents reflect the fact that there are currently conflicts in criminal circles on both sides of the Øresund, where it is quite obvious that Sweden is able to use completely different methods, than we have seen so far in Denmark – due to a corrupt criminal culture – on the other side of the strait.
According to the Danish broadcaster TV2, 11 other cases involving Swedish citizens have been reported in less than a year. These include attempted and complicity in murder, organising bombings, and weapons possession.
Hummelgaard will meet with the national police commissioner and the director of the National Special Crimes Unit to discuss the situation. He also announced that the Danish police would step up co-operation with the Swedish police by permanently stationing one officer in Sweden to “ensure even more permanent and effective intelligence co-operation.”
While the Schengen Area, of which Sweden and Denmark are members, encourages free movement, member states have the right to temporarily reinstate internal border controls to address serious threats to public policy or internal security.
