Denmark's Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard is set to present a proposal aimed at intensifying penalties for specific organized crime activities. According to the proposal, having hired criminals or participating in criminal acts at the behest of others will be considered an aggravating circumstance. Hummelgaard highlights that organized criminals are becoming increasingly creative and ruthless, which warrants a firm societal response. He emphasizes that the Danish society will not tolerate gangs employing young Swedish individuals to do their criminal bidding on Danish soil and that crime should not be viewed as a family affair.

The proposal is supported by alarming statistics from the National Unit for Special Crimes (NSK), indicating that since April 2024, there have been 59 cases where perpetrators were believed to have been hired to commit crimes. In a concerning trend dubbed 'violence as a service,' young Swedes have been recruited to carry out severe personal violence in Denmark. The police are actively tracking this trend, recognizing it as a significant threat to public safety and societal integrity. This increasing prevalence of organized crime, particularly involving cross-border elements, is pushing Danish authorities to reconsider their legal responses.

The implications of this proposal are multi-faceted, potentially reshaping the criminal justice landscape in Denmark. By imposing stricter penalties, the government aims to dissuade both the hiring of criminals and the acts themselves, signaling a commitment to combating organized crime more vigorously. This move might also entail increased resources for law enforcement agencies to manage the growing complexity of these criminal networks and their international links, reflecting a broader concern about crime spilling over from neighboring countries.