– This is our leisure club! says headmaster Marco Damgaard with a big smile. – One of the basic ideas has been to give the children opportunities to participate in positive communities. If you are part of a positive community, you will not end up in crime, he says. In the gymnasium at Tingbjerg School in the north of the Danish capital, life is bustling. The school day is over, now tens of boys and girls between the ages of 10 and 13 are speeding around on roller skates. But the atmosphere has not always been as good in Tingbjerg. In the past, the district struggled with a bad reputation. Pupils in full activity after the end of the school day at Tingbjerg school in Copenhagen. School head Marco Damgaard is concerned with positive leisure activities to keep children and young people away from the streets and crime. Tingbjerg has turned the tide and is rid of the ghetto stamp the district previously struggled with. – It was unsafe here. There was more crime, also gang crime, and there were many more children and young people who were out on the streets and did not get further education, says Damgaard. But now the figures point in a very positive direction: While in 2016/2017 there were 62 per cent who were in upper secondary education 15 months after finishing secondary school, the figure is now 100 per cent. – The numbers don’t get any better than that. Many more are in work, and many more in education. We are no longer on what in Denmark was called the ghetto list. We used to be there, but now crime is low, says Damgaard. ACTIVITY: If you are part of a positive community, you will not end up in crime, says school head Marco Damgaard. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news Package against gangs Both in Denmark and Norway the debate about gangs and youth crime is raging. And Sweden’s problems spread across national borders: since April alone, there have been 25 incidents where Swedish minors have taken on assignments to commit crimes in Denmark, according to the Danish Minister of Justice. In Norway, there are around 200 very active offenders under the age of 18, who commit repeated crimes and are responsible for much of the increase in youth crime, according to the Ministry of Justice. The Conservative Party is now looking to Denmark to find out how the party is going to crush the gangs and overcome youth crime if it wins the election next autumn. On 9 September, deputy leader Henrik Asheim presents the first draft of the new party programme. – We see that crime in Norway, also among young people, is becoming increasingly serious. In Denmark, people have taken action, made measures that have reduced that crime, and we must learn from that in Norway as well, he says to news. – The most important thing you can learn from Denmark is that they intervene early when you see that young people are at risk of being recruited into crime. It has produced great results. STUDY TOUR: Høyre’s Henrik Asheim and Mari Holm Lønseth have been to Denmark to get inspiration for the party’s program work. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news – The Conservative Party is concerned that we put in place a one-to-one follow-up of those who are particularly vulnerable to becoming involved in crime, says the Conservative Party’s justice policy spokesperson Mari Holm Lønseth to news. – But then there needs to be a change in the law, because information needs to be exchanged better between schools, social services and the police? – We come in far too late, since there is a duty of confidentiality that prevents the police from talking to child protection, schools and support services, before crime occurs, says Lønseth. – Does this raise any problematic questions in relation to the privacy of these children? – It is important that you have the opportunity to talk about those you are worried about, even before they commit a crime, says Lønseth, who is deputy chairman of the program committee. Five Høyre measures against increasing crime More police: Two police officers per 1,000 inhabitants. Stricter penalties: The Conservative Party will increase the penalties for particularly serious crimes, where several criminal acts have been committed at the same time and for sexual assault. Tougher penalties for crimes committed as part of organized criminal networks. At the same time, the party will give judges greater latitude than today by having fewer minimum sentences. Stop the recruitment of young people: The Conservative Party wants an exit programme, quick reactions and a separate fast-track court. Curfew with anklets to ensure enforcement and follow-up. Closed youth homes/institutions for children and young people who have committed serious crimes. One-to-one follow-up of young people in the risk zone. More cooperation and better flow of information between the police, child protection and school. Tougher penalties for using minors in criminal acts. In the long term, invest in prevention, safe meeting places, leisure facilities and a school where everyone can experience mastery and well-being. Beat the gangs: Gang packages and increased police staffing in vulnerable areas. Make it easier to confiscate assets originating from criminal activity. Tighten the penalties for illegal gun possession and for carrying a firearm or knife in a public place. Consider allowing witnesses to testify anonymously where this is considered necessary and particularly relevant, following inspiration from Denmark. Faster and better clarification: More capacity in the courts. Strengthen the prosecution. Own investigator training and issue police authority to technologists who have completed further training. (Source: Høyre) The government has set up an expert group to investigate measures that can be implemented against the group of young people who commit repeated and serious crimes. On the Conservative Party’s list of election promises one year before the general election, there is also tougher punishment for carrying firearms and knives in public places, and stricter punishment for using minors in criminal acts. – We cannot be there that our only answer is leisure clubs. There must also be a reaction for those who engage in crime, says Asheim to news. – It must also be the case that we quite quickly crack down on those who recruit young people in the way they are doing now. STUDY TOUR: Høyre’s Henrik Asheim and Mari Holm Lønseth have listened to experiences from Denmark’s fight against gangs and youth crime. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news Not just punishment A key point in turning around the development in Tingbjerg in Copenhagen was precisely the close cooperation between the police, municipality and school to help vulnerable young people. – We have worked a lot here in the district to have positive, high expectations for all children and young people. There used to be a story telling that you couldn’t amount to anything if you lived in Tingberg, says Damgaard. This is done, among other things, by means of an extensive exchange of personal information, which is permitted in Denmark, but not in Norway. That explains SSP’s Riad Tolba, who is head of SSP Copenhagen. SSP stands for school, social services and police. COMMON EFFORT: Riad Tolba is head of SSP Copenhagen, a project where schools, social services and the police work closely together to catch young people before they get into trouble. Photo: Gunnar Bratthammer / news – It is an opportunity for the police, school and municipality to talk together about the young people who live there, and about whom they are concerned. We can do that in Denmark within the framework of section 115 of the Administration of Justice Act. You do not have that option in Norway. In Norwegian politics, the debate this summer has largely been about who is the toughest in the fight against the gangs. In Tingbjerg, school head Marco Damgaard says that a police force that cracks down on crime is also an important part of the Danish model. But: – You must also remember the preventive efforts. One must remember to invest in education and training and to get the young people into some positive and safe communities, he says. – Once they are there, they do not end up in crime. Published 26/08/2024, at 19.52
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Get rid of the ghetto stamp and gang problems – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
