Under current legislation, it is not permitted for the police to stop cyclists in order to check the bicycle's frame number without a specific suspicion that the bicycle is stolen. (Archive photo). Photo: Liselotte Sabroe/Ritzau Scanpix
Denmark aims to fight bike theft
Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard seeks to empower police to randomly stop cyclists to check their bikes’ serial numbers, without specific suspicion, to curb the rising number of bike thefts. A draft bill has been sent for consultation, as reported by Jyllands-Posten. The move aims to catch more thieves, return stolen bikes to rightful owners, and make it harder to sell stolen bikes. Current laws prohibit stopping cyclists without suspicion of theft. Statistics from Danmarks Statistik show 48,305 reported bike thefts in 2023, an increase from under 38,000 in 2021, with Copenhagen experiencing over 17,000 cases. A past raid by Copenhagen police led to 30 charges after stopping 3,800 cyclists.