According to the police, at least one in every sixth person convicted of burglary in Denmark in 2013 was a foreigner who lived abroad.
The figures show that the number of foreign burglars has more than doubled from eight percent in 2009 to 17 percent last year, many of whom hail from eastern Europe.
“There is an over-representation of Romanians and Lithuanians,” Michael Ask, the head of the police’s national investigation centre, told DR Nyheder.
“It’s not a new phenomenon, but it’s a problem that has escalated – not just in Denmark, but in most of western Europe.”
But the problem in Denmark is bigger than most other countries in Europe because the Danes experience the second-most break-ins per capita, with only Greece faring worse, and government coalition party Socialdemokraterne are eager to address the issue.
READ MORE: Break-in numbers remain among the highest in Europe
Politicians want to act
The party wants to instate minimum requirements of break-in protection for doors and windows in newly built houses.
“The time has come to look into how Danes can better protect their homes,” Trine Bramsen, a spokesperson for Socialdemokraterne, said. “So we propose that requirements are needed for new buildings.”
Earlier break-in protection requirement proposals in Denmark had been dismissed over fears that it would lead to increased house prices, but a recent report from the Netherlands, which has had the requirement as law since 1999, showed that those fears were unfounded.
The Dutch law states that building material, including doors and windows, must be break-in-safe, meaning that they must be able to resist burglars for at least three minutes.
