Danish police close thousands of cases without investigation while telling citizens otherwise, audit finds

A government audit has found that Danish police closed thousands of criminal cases without conducting any investigation, while informing citizens that probes had been carried out, DR reports. The National Audit Office of Denmark (Rigsrevisionen) describes the police handling of violent and financial crime cases as “very unsatisfactory,” warning that offenders may go free as a result.

The audit, triggered by earlier DR investigations into police “washing” cases—deliberately skipping basic investigative steps to close them faster—reveals that in roughly 5,900 cases of violent crime, including assault, child abuse material possession, and rape, police took no investigative action before closing them. Another 7,100 financial crime cases were similarly dismissed without probe, accounting for about seven percent of all such cases police decided to investigate between 2019 and the first half of 2025.

Despite this, citizens received notifications stating that investigations had been part of the decision to close their cases. The audit warns the practice risks undermining public trust in law enforcement and could encourage repeat offenses if criminals realize they face no consequences.

Police leadership disputes the findings, arguing that even checking internal systems or contacting victims constitutes investigation—a claim the audit rejects. The audit also cites a survey where seven percent of officers admitted to omitting “obvious investigative steps” to close violent crime cases more easily, with 61 percent saying they did so due to leadership pressure to deprioritize or skip investigations. For financial crimes, 18 percent of officers reported similar omissions.

In one case, Midt- og Vestsjællands Police issued instructions to consider budget rules when investigating child abuse, the audit notes. Officers also told auditors they were sometimes ordered to avoid searching police databases for linked cases to prevent consolidating multiple offenses under their jurisdiction.

The National Audit Office of Denmark is an independent body under the Folketing (Danish Parliament) that scrutinizes state finances and administration. Its reports are reviewed by parliamentary auditors before submission to lawmakers.