Denmark
Prosecution in Denmark
The Prosecution Service (Anklagemyndigheden) under the Ministry of Justice — a three-tier hierarchy in which the district prosecutor and the district police chief are the same person.
Facts on this page were checked against their sources on .
Prosecution in Denmark is conducted by the Prosecution Service (Anklagemyndigheden), which is "under the authority of the Ministry of Justice". Its functions and organisation are set out in Chapter 10 of the Administration of Justice Act (retsplejeloven), sections 95 to 107. It is a three-tier hierarchy: the Director of Public Prosecutions (Rigsadvokaten) at the top, the regional Public Prosecutors (statsadvokaterne), and the Police Commissioners (politidirektørerne) at district level.
The same idea, explained generally
- What does a prosecutor do?
A prosecutor decides whether a criminal case should be brought, on what charges, and presents it in court. This guide explains the tests applied, the duties owed, and how the role differs between systems.
- Why do justice systems need oversight?
Justice institutions hold coercive powers, often operate out of public view, and make decisions that are hard to reverse. This guide explains the oversight mechanisms built to detect and correct errors, and their limits.
Sources
Sources
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.
About the Prosecution Service / Director of Public Prosecutions
Anklagemyndigheden (Danish Prosecution Service) · Government publication · link verified 2026-07-26
The Prosecution Service's own English pages, read directly. Supports the service's name (Anklagemyndigheden), the role of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Rigsadvokaten) as the hierarchical superior of the other prosecutors who prosecutes before the Supreme Court, and the three-tier structure. Used for the institution's own account of itself; its subordination to the Ministry of Justice is established by the e-Justice source.