Danish People’s Party demands resignation of national police chief

The Danish People’s Party (DF) has called for the resignation of national police chief Thorkild Fogde following a report by Denmark’s National Audit Office revealing that thousands of criminal cases were closed without proper investigation, state broadcaster DR reports.

“It is time for Thorkild Fogde to face the consequences,” said DF justice spokesperson Anders Vistisen, arguing that new leadership is needed in the police force. “We must have a new management team in Danish policing, starting with replacing the national police chief.”

The National Audit Office’s report, published on Tuesday, found that in 13,000 cases, citizens were incorrectly informed that investigations had been conducted before their cases were dropped. Police had taken no investigative steps in these instances, despite assurances to the public.

Fogde acknowledged the findings as “uncomfortable reading” but noted that the 13,000 cases represent a small fraction of the roughly 600,000 annual reports received by police. “This is far from the entire reality of policing,” he stated. He declined to comment on DF’s demand for his resignation.

Criticism has also come from other political parties, with Venstre’s justice spokesperson Preben Bang Henriksen calling the discrepancies in case handling a “scandal.” He highlighted significant regional variations in how crimes such as violence, rape, and stalking are investigated, despite uniform national laws.

Mai Mercado, justice spokesperson for the Conservative People’s Party, expressed shock at the revelations but stopped short of backing Fogde’s dismissal. “It is not my role to remove officials from their positions,” she said, though she admitted trust in police leadership and the Ministry of Justice had been “seriously undermined.”

The report contradicts repeated assurances from police leadership and the Ministry of Justice that no improper case closures—referred to as “police washing”—were occurring. Mercado criticised the lack of transparency, stating: “We have held multiple meetings with top police officials about this issue, and it is incredible that it took a full National Audit Office report to confirm that cases were being improperly closed.”

She added that politicians cannot accept a justice system operating in this manner. “There is a lack of honesty, and I hope a new minister will address this.”

The National Audit Office’s investigation followed earlier disclosures by DR, detailed in the podcast series “Police’s Dirty Cases.”