Danes stealing from workplaces like never before

A record number of employees were reported for theft last year

A record 1,383 employees at Danish companies were reported to the national police force Rigspolitiet for stealing from their workplaces in 2015.

That is the highest number for eight years, according to the Danish business magazine DI Business. Police believe the actual amount of workplace pilfering is higher than reported.

“I think many companies choose not to report the situation and settle with the employee to avoid negative publicity,” Rigspolitiet inspector Michael Kjeldgaard told DI Business.

There is no minimum amount that an employee can steal before the company has a right to sack them.

They’ll never miss a roll to two
Enforcement by police is complicated since individual companies have different rules concerning what is and what is not okay for an employees to take home.

Office articles like pens and pads of paper are usually not a problem, but employees also snag toilet paper and soap from the restroom and carry them out in backpacks and handbags.

Sometimes employees take things they feel are no longer of value to the company, believing that it is okay to do so.

“The starting point is that everything on company property belongs to the company,” Dansk Industri workplace consultant Allan Fugmann told TV2 News. “Companies are now recycling more and more items they would have previously thrown away.”

READ MORE: Every tenth Dane has shagged at work

Fugmann said that corporate guidelines need to be absolutely clear on what is and what is not fair game for employees to take home.




  • A country famous for lots of rain, Denmark craves for tears from the sky

    A country famous for lots of rain, Denmark craves for tears from the sky

    Two years ago, Denmark had a very dry Spring. This year, Farmers are reliving the trauma of 2023. While tourists and sun-starved Danes enjoy the sunny weather, farmers are nervously scouting for rain

  • “Ready to spend even more than 4% of the GPD” says Minister of Defense

    “Ready to spend even more than 4% of the GPD” says Minister of Defense

    At the Copenhagen Democracy Summit 2025, Danish Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen stated that Denmark is willing to spend more on defense. During a conference, he said the country is ready to surpass the original target set by the European Union

  • ReDI school wins Danish Diversity Award for empowering marginalized women in tech

    ReDI school wins Danish Diversity Award for empowering marginalized women in tech

    A non-profit tech school in Denmark is recognized for helping migrant women secure jobs aligned with their qualifications through digital training and networking.

  • Danish bravery in the Nanjing Massacre

    Danish bravery in the Nanjing Massacre

    Bernhard Sindberg was a Dane who saved thousands of Chinese during the Nanjing Massacre, one of the darkest episodes of the 20th century. He is often compared to Oskar Schindler. A book has told his story, and a statue in Aarhus commemorates him—yet few people know about his remarkable actions. The Copenhagen Post spoke with Sindberg’s niece, who still remembers her uncle well, to shed light on this seldom-told and incredible story

  • More Danes are uncomfortable with English replacing Danish in daily life

    More Danes are uncomfortable with English replacing Danish in daily life

    A survey from NORSTAT, commissioned by Sune Steffen Hansen and published exclusively by The Copenhagen Post, shows that around 40% of the population is uncomfortable with English replacing Danish in their daily lives. While this is not a problem for the younger generation, half of the people in older generations have an issue with it

  • Be a green tourist – get free access to Copenhagen’s attractions

    Be a green tourist – get free access to Copenhagen’s attractions

    CopenPay is back. Last year’s attempt to get guests to take a sustainable approach when visiting Copenhagen’s attractions will be back in 2025, on an even bigger scale. 90 attractions are participating across Copenhagen and running throughout the summer

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.