Police scale back terror watch in Copenhagen

Fewer officers to guard terror targets in Danish capital

Despite Europe seeing a spike in terror attacks in recent years, the Danish police have decided to reduce the physical guarding of terror targets in Copenhagen.

According to a new police report, guarding terror targets required the equivalent of 300 full-time officers in 2015, but this year the same job is expected to employ just 208. Police cite better technology and fewer late-night shifts as being among the reasons for the easing.

“It’s not necessarily a question of how many police officers are out there. It’s more about how we solve this issue, and it is here we have improved,” Stine Arneskov Mathiesen, a police inspector with the state police Rigspolitiet, told DR Nyheder.

READ MORE: Copenhagen to replace terror barriers with trees

More efficient
Mathiesen also said that the many policemen returning to their normal duties would boost police resource commitments dedicated to the ongoing gang war and border control issues.

One of the targets of the 2015 terror attack in Copenhagen, the Great Synagogue on Krystalgade, has seen a decline in its police presence in recent weeks. The police have confirmed they are no longer monitoring terror targets like the synagogue 24/7.

“I can understand why some people might look at the figures and think it looks like a deprioritisation, but the explanation for why we can reduce [our officer numbers] by nearly a third is due to how we are doing things,” said Mathiesen.

“And the number of areas we have been guarding since the start of 2015 has declined somewhat.”




  • Greenland, Danish life science, and the future of US-Danish relations

    Greenland, Danish life science, and the future of US-Danish relations

    The US is the biggest market for the Danish life science industry, the country’s currently most important. Despite the situation, Denmark is not alone. There is also room for compromise, and promises of such jobs and additional investments are likely to at least reduce the tensions in US-Danish trade relations.

  • The internationals who created an app to make friends in Denmark  

    The internationals who created an app to make friends in Denmark  

    A team of young internationals has created an app that is helping their peers connect and build friendships in Denmark, addressing the challenges of social integration.

  • New documentary stirs debate in Denmark and Greenland 

    New documentary stirs debate in Denmark and Greenland 

    The documentary Greenland’s White Gold, reveals the worth of cryolite mining in Greenland to be in the billions. Over the years its value has been undermined, despite it acting like a gold mine for the Danish state. 

  • Today is 10 years from Copenhagen terrorist attack

    Today is 10 years from Copenhagen terrorist attack

    On February 14 and 15, the last terrorist attack took place in Denmark. Another episode occurred in 2022, but in that case, there was no political motive behind it

  • Enter Christiania: how the Freetown works

    Enter Christiania: how the Freetown works

    We all know Christiania and have been there at least once. But how does the Freetown work? How are decisions made? Can a person move there? Is there rent or bills to pay? British journalist Dave Wood wrote a reportage on Christiania for The Copenhagen Post.

  • The struggles of Asian women in Denmark’s labour market

    The struggles of Asian women in Denmark’s labour market

    Isha Thapa unfolds her research “An Analysis on the Inclusivity and Integration of South Asian Women in High-Skilled Jobs within the Danish Labor Market”. Thapa describes the systemic and social challenges these women face, ranging from barriers in social capital to cultural integration.