A legislative proposal has been sent for consultation to give the police the authority to stop random cyclists without specific suspicion in order to catch bike thieves, as reported by Jyllands-Posten.
This follows Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard (S) announcing last December his willingness to implement more frequent checks on potential thieves.
Currently, police can only stop cyclists if they have a specific suspicion of theft. According to Jyllands-Posten, Hummelgaard has submitted a concrete legislative proposal on the matter for consultation.
“It shouldn’t be the case that people can’t leave their bikes at home or at work without worrying about whether they will be stolen,” Hummelgaard told Jyllands-Posten.
He emphasizes the importance of protecting both expensive bikes and those with sentimental value, such as “grandfather’s old bike.” “We have to address the high rate of bike thefts,” he says.
In 2023, there were 48,305 reported bicycle thefts in Denmark, up from under 38,000 in 2021. Copenhagen Municipality accounts for over 17,000 of these reports. Four years ago, police stopped 3,800 cyclists, which led to 30 charges of theft.