Government package aims to curb stalking in Denmark

Immediate restraining orders and tougher penalties among seven new initiatives

The justice minister, Søren Pind, and the equality minister, Ellen Thrane Nørby, will this afternoon present seven new initiatives geared towards curbing stalking.

Among the initiatives is one that allows the police to issue a restraining order ahead of a decision being made in court.

“We’ve realised that it can be very difficult to get a restraining order and many give up during the process,” Pind told DR Nyheder.

“And now you can produce an immediate restraining order and then investigate the case more thoroughly afterwards – unless there are clear grounds against doing so.”

“The police will intervene faster. There needs to be a tougher and more consistent set of rules for stalking in Denmark. It is a growing problem.”

READ MORE: Huge spike in stalker cases in Denmark

Punishment adequate?
Immediate retraining orders demand less evidence than is normally the case, and they will only be used in uncomplicated cases such as ones that don’t involve children.

Another initiative in the stalking package is for the state prosecutor to look into whether the two-year punishment framework is utilised well enough.

A recent report from the Justice Ministry revealed that the waiting times for stalking cases had increased considerably in recent years to 272 days on average.

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