Police step up opioid surveillance at Aalborg Carnival

North Jutland Police will deploy plainclothes officers, video surveillance and drones to monitor drug sales at Aalborg Carnival on Saturday, with a particular focus on dangerous opioids.

The crackdown comes as opioids have surged across Denmark in recent years, including among younger users, according to police commissioner Simon Jacobsen of the police prevention unit in Aalborg.

“Opioids have washed over Denmark in recent years, so of course we are very aware of that. We are also aware that there are new types of users — it could be high school students taking them in a party setting,” Jacobsen said, as reported by DR.

Up to 100,000 revellers are expected at the carnival, which features parades through the city followed by festivities in Kildeparken. Jacobsen said the force will use civil patrols to blend in with crowds and quickly direct units to locations where drug sales are reported.

Police also issued advice for a safe carnival day, including eating and drinking water along the route, staying with friends and agreeing meeting points, wearing sturdy footwear due to broken glass, and planning transport home in advance.

First aid stations will be available along the route, and a forward emergency room is set up at Ansgars Church opposite the entrance to Kildeparken.