Denmark
Law enforcement in Denmark
The National Police (Rigspolitiet) in twelve districts, plus the nationwide Special Crime Unit created in 2022 — under the Ministry of Justice, and integrated with the prosecution at district level.
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Denmark has one national police, the Rigspolitiet, organised into twelve geographical police districts. The Faroe Islands Police and the Greenland Police each form a further district. In 2022 a nationwide "fifteenth police district" was created — the National Special Crime Unit — to investigate the most complex economic crime, organised crime and cybercrime across the whole country.
The named organisations in this system have pages of their own: Rigspolitiet, National enhed for Særlig Kriminalitet. How this system compares with others on the five structural questions is set out in who polices what. The body that trains them has a page of its own: Politiskolen.
The same idea, explained generally
- Why do societies need law enforcement?
Law enforcement exists so that rules apply to everyone rather than to whoever can be compelled. This guide explains the function, the conditions that make it legitimate, and what it cannot do.
- What is the difference between police and law enforcement?
“Police” is one kind of institution. “Law enforcement” is a function that many bodies perform. This guide explains the distinction and why it matters when comparing countries.
Sources
Sources
Rigspolitiet (Danish National Police), politi.dk · Government publication · link verified 2026-09-19
The Danish National Police's own English site, read directly and re-confirmed. Supports that Denmark is organised into 12 geographical police districts, that the Faroe Islands Police and Greenland Police each form a police district, and that "the 15th police district is the Special Crime Unit, which is a nationwide investigative unit established in 2022". Re-read on 2026-09-13, when the page also gave the organisation’s name as Rigspolitiet in Danish and "Danish National Police" in English, and stated that "The Kingdom of Denmark consists of a total of 15 police districts". The specific sentence naming the National Commissioner (Rigspolitichef) as head of Rigspolitiet under the Ministry of Justice was not on the page fetched, so leadership is stated only to the extent the source supports it.
Types of legal professions — Denmark (European e-Justice Portal)
European Commission (European e-Justice Portal) · International organisation · link verified 2026-07-26
The European Commission's e-Justice portal page on Denmark's legal professions, read directly and re-confirmed. Supports that the Prosecution Service is "under the authority of the Ministry of Justice" (i.e. not institutionally independent of the executive); its statutory basis in Chapter 10 of the Administration of Justice Act (retsplejeloven), sections 95–107; its three tiers (the Director of Public Prosecutions / Rigsadvokaten, the regional Public Prosecutors / statsadvokaterne, and the Police Commissioners / politidirektørerne); and the integrated model — that the Police Commissioners are "responsible for the investigations carried out by the police district and the activities of the local prosecution service", so the district police head is also the local prosecutor.