Denmark and Sweden Join Forces to Combat Gangs Exploiting Youth as Mercenaries

Denmark and Sweden have united in their efforts to combat gangs that recruit young people as mercenaries. During a press conference in Copenhagen on Wednesday, Denmark’s Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard (Socialdemokratiet, S) and Sweden’s Minister of Justice Gunnar Strömmer announced that the two countries had drafted a joint declaration. This initiative follows a series of incidents where Swedish teenagers have been involved in activities for Danish gangs.

Peter Hummelgaard emphasized that the violent activities of the gangs know no borders and therefore require a strong and coordinated response. The collaboration between the two nations will focus on increasing cooperation with third countries, where the masterminds behind these gangs often hide. This is part of ensuring that more criminals are extradited to Denmark and Sweden to face justice. However, Hummelgaard did not specify which countries were involved in this context.

A central aspect of the declaration is also an intensified effort to prevent the gangs from recruiting young people through social media platforms. Hummelgaard expressed concern over the alarming exploitation of children and youth in such a cynical manner for criminal activities. According to Gunnar Strömmer, Sweden is taking this development on social platforms very seriously and intends to respond with strong measures. Sweden will now intensify its crackdown on serious violence, inspired by Denmark’s initiatives in this area.

In response to the recent violent incidents involving Swedish individuals, Peter Hummelgaard has also increased border controls against Sweden. This includes a heightened police presence in the Øresund trains (the trains that connect Denmark to Sweden) and improved license plate recognition capabilities. Hummelgaard noted that since April, there have been 25 cases where Danish criminal groups hired Swedish youths to commit crimes.

Through this joint effort, both countries hope to significantly reduce the number of such incidents and ensure that both Danish and Swedish authorities are better equipped in the fight against gangs.