Cop accused of stealing from a dead man

Officer accused of taking money while investigating the death of a man in his home

Sep 15, 2014

A police officer from Zealand has been charged with stealing money from the wallet of a man whose death he was investigating.

The independent police complaints authority, Den Uafhængige Politiklagemyndighed, has confirmed it has charged the officer.

The alleged theft took place last Thursday. The accused officer was arrested by the complaints authority with help from Rigspolitiets Rejsehold, the national police department’s mobile task force, last Friday.

The accused officer is said to have been found carrying an amount of cash equal to that missing from the dead man’s home. The complaints authority would not say how much was missing.

“We do not want to comment on the specifics of the case at this time,” Christian Otto from Den Uafhængige Politiklagemyndighed’s legal department told TV2 News.

“Ordinary police business”
Otto said the alleged theft took place in the course of what he called “ordinary police business” as police investigated the circumstances surrounding the death of a man in his home. The following day, the complaints authority asked the national police department to search the suspect’s home and arrest him.

Otto declined to say why the officer arrested came under suspicion.

The complaints authority can ask the national police for help in cases that require quick action, such as when there is a danger that evidence could disappear.

“We are physically located in Aarhus and this case happened in Zealand. We were afraid it would take us too long to get there to make an arrest, but we have been on the scene since,” said Otto.