Copenhagen’s ten most criminal families impose an annual burden of approximately 25 million DKK (approx. €3.35 million) on the municipality, according to Berlingske. Each of these families cost the municipality an average of 2.5 million DKK (approx. €335,000) in 2023 alone.
Longstanding financial strain on public services
The costs stem primarily from public transfers, child placements, and other social measures required to address the complex needs arising from these families’ criminal activities. Over the past decade, authorities have filed 133 charges and secured 26 convictions against members of these ten families. Offences include property crimes such as vandalism and burglary, as well as other violations of the Danish Penal Code.
Challenges in targeting family-based crime
Jens-Kristian Lütken (Venstre), Copenhagen’s Mayor for Employment and Integration (Beskæftigelses- og Integrationsborgmester), commissioned the analysis in an effort to design more targeted interventions. However, efforts are hampered by privacy regulations that prevent the municipality from accessing the names of the 36 individuals linked to these families.
“Today, we are not allowed to obtain the names of the families who cost the city so much money, making it difficult to address the problem — especially to prevent more children and young people in these families from becoming involved in crime,” Lütken told Berlingske.
A wider pattern of family-linked criminality
The issue is part of a broader phenomenon identified by the city. A recent mapping exercise by Copenhagen Municipality revealed 605 families where both adults and children have ties to criminal activities. In April, Lütken characterised this as a problem of “family-based crime”, underscoring the need for preventive efforts that can disrupt cycles of criminal behaviour passed down through generations.
