Denmark will strengthen police and PET with nearly DKK 800 million (€107 million) from 2027 as the government responds to a worsening security environment and growing concerns over Russian hybrid activity.
The funding will be included in the government’s forthcoming budget proposal and is intended to reinforce both the police and the Danish Security and Intelligence Service (Politiets Efterretningstjeneste, PET). The Justice Ministry has not yet published a detailed breakdown of how the money will be spent.
The announcement follows a new assessment published on 24 September by the Danish Defence Intelligence Service (Forsvarets Efterretningstjeneste, FE). FE said Russia is expected to further escalate its hybrid campaign against NATO and Western countries in the coming months.
Denmark is preparing for more hybrid threats
According to FE, there is now a low but increasing risk of limited Russian military attacks against a NATO country, even while the war in Ukraine continues. The intelligence service still considers a full Russian invasion of a NATO country unlikely, but says it can no longer be ruled out.
PET separately warned that a further increase in Russia’s willingness to take risks could lead to more influence operations, espionage and sabotage in Denmark. The service said it has already observed increased Russian risk-taking and concrete planning and preparation for sabotage.
Potential targets include companies in the defence industry and organisations directly connected to Denmark’s military support for Ukraine. PET said that, if Russian hybrid activity intensifies further, critical infrastructure and other essential functions could also come under greater pressure.
More police officers and new security capabilities
Justice Minister Nicolai Wammen said the deteriorating security situation could have direct consequences inside Denmark, particularly for the defence industry and critical infrastructure. Wammen has served as justice minister since the formation of Mette Frederiksen’s current government in June 2026.
“We are therefore investing heavily in a security package that will strengthen the police and PET in the coming years.”
According to Wammen, the package will result in one of the largest expansions of the Danish police force in many years. The government also plans to invest in capabilities aimed at preventing and responding to hybrid incidents, although it has not yet provided further details.
The Danish Police Federation said the plan would require training additional police officers beyond those already foreseen under the existing multi-year agreement for the police and prosecution service.
The new funding therefore extends Denmark’s security response beyond conventional defence spending. Authorities are increasingly treating sabotage, espionage, cyberattacks and foreign influence operations as part of the same broader security environment created by Russia’s confrontation with NATO and its continuing war against Ukraine. PET itself describes sabotage, disinformation and cyberattacks as elements of the hybrid threat facing Denmark and other European countries.
