Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen, took first place in annual ranking of the safest cities in the world established by the British magazine The Economist. Sixty large cities were in competition and were judged on criteria ranging from personal safety, to that of its infrastructures. However, the idyllic image should not obscure a low level of crime, certainly, but on the rise in recent years.
Security. This is precisely why Murritz, of German origin, who takes his son Vigo for a stroller has just left Chile with his wife for Copenhagen: “In Santiago, crime has exploded. It’s very violent. Clearly, it’s not a place to live, with a child. So we decided to come here.”
Here in Copenhagen, trust reigns, as Charlotte Epstein, researcher explains. in security at the Danish Institute for International Studies: “I went for a swim in the sea yesterday and left my things on the harbor side without worrying about anything. Nothing happened.” According to her, it is cultural : “In Denmark, in the countryside, people build small shelters where producers sell their produce and the idea is that either we leave the money or we use something called ‘Mobile pay’ to pay for it. nobody checks that you are not going to steal the farmer’s produce. “
“Of all the cities we knew, Copenhagen was the safest, and the most suitable for family life”
Murritz, new inhabitant of Copenhagento franceinfo
A capital, in the image of its population therefore with also bicycle thefts at the lowest: -25% in 10 years. The mayor of Copenhagen underlines good social cohesion: “Here, he says, the cleaner and the CEO cross paths at the supermarket, and put their children in the same school. ”
However, all is not all rosy, confirms Sara: “A young Syrian was stabbed just a few days ago in my neighborhood, Norrebro, which is a hip part of Copenhagen. It is the other face of the city.”
Since 2010, reports of violent crimes have increased 66% nationally. Things have changed in a few years, says Anders Larsen, who runs a security company: “Until recently, we were one of the few European countries where the Prime Minister did not have a security service. Today, we have groups from Eastern Europe committing crimes. thefts, burglaries … But it is still less important than elsewhere. ”
Copenhagen, gold medalist for personal security, therefore, very well placed in terms of digital security. But the system of centralizing personal data is so developed that it even flirts, for some, with surveillance.