Only one killing in Denmark has been carried out with an ashtray since 1992. That is one of a legion of bizarre statistics that DR has been busy unearthing this week in a series of stories about the 1,338 killings that took place in Denmark between 1992 and 2016.
Other one-off strange weapons of choice included a housebrick, a hedge trimmer, a set of bullfighting weapons, an artificial arm, a marble rolling pin and, most bizarrely of all, two potatoes stuffed down the victim’s throat to suffocate him.
Men kill more
The overall rate has declined since 1992, when 73 people were killed, to somewhere between 30 and 50 per year, although some 54 killings were reported last year.
Experts question whether the mobile phone has played a role in reducing the numbers. In 1996, there was one in 14 percent of Danish homes; by 2016, the number had risen to 96 percent.
Some 83 percent of all the killings were committed by men, 11 percent by women and the rest by unknown perpetrators.
Broken down by municipality
DR has compiled a graphic to include every single killing. Simply click on one of the red circles to discover the cause of death and background story.
The capital Copenhagen, with 224, is way ahead of the other major cities, partly thanks to the contribution of Amager (41), which with Holmbladsgade (11) has the most dangerous street in the country, and Nørrebro (37).
Were Amager a city, it would only finish behind Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg.
Closer to home, Frederiksberg (25), Glostrup (10), Tarnby (10), Brøndby (9), Ishøj (4) and Dragør (1) had surprisingly few killings.
Click here to find out how your municipality fared.
Stabbing number remain stable over past 25 years despite tightened law
The number of stabbings has not decreased despite a tightening of regulations a decade ago following the well-publicised murder of a man on Strøget after a quarrel over a hat. Passed by Parliament in March 2008, and then tightened again in 2012 and 2016, the new law carried a prison sentence for anyone in possession of a knife. However, knife crimes have barely fluctuated over the last 25 years, and meanwhile a number of people have been jailed for possessing knives they claimed were vital for their work or hobbies. In one case, a petrol attendant called Haris Cehic got seven days for possessing two hobby knives – a sentence that was changed to a small fine by the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Cehic’s hopes of acquiring Danish citizenship were completely shredded.
Nørrebro shooting not necessarily gang-related say police
Copenhagen Police have refused to describe a gunfire incident in Nørrebro on Sunday as gang-related despite the target of the shooting having an established connection with local outfit Brothas. Some five to ten shots were fired by two dark-haired men, possibly wearing masks, outside a kiosk near the junction between Nørrebrogade and Heimdalsgade at around 22:15. The 26-year-old target, who was recently released from prison after serving a year for weapons possession, was uninjured. The attackers tried to get away on a moped, but the engine failed, and they were forced to flee on foot. Since the ceasefire in November, there have been few gang incidents in Nørrebro, but a growing number of shootings in the suburbs.
Buying drugs increasingly easy on internet
Drugs are no longer being sold in secrecy on the dark web, reports Berlingske. Dealers are happily offering their products on websites that aren’t encrypted and promising delivery in Copenhagen in 30 minutes – sometimes by regular transport companies. The most common way of ordering the drugs – cocaine and cannabis are the most popular – is via closed Facebook groups.
Suspicious suitcase outside Synagogue searched and cleared
Police cordoned off Krystalgade after a suspicious suitcase was found outside the Great Synagogue last week on Friday. However, once searched it was found to only contain tools.
