Vesterbro, the crime capital of the city

Inner Vesterbro tops the list of the city’s most crime-ridden areas, according to figures from the City Council’s security index 2010.

Pickpockets at the Central Station, drunken violence in the Vesterbro district and drugs and prostitution on Istedgade are the main reasons why Vesterbro tops the crime statistics.

The index reveals six times as many drug-related crimes in the Istedgade/Halmtorvet district as in the rest of Copenhagen. The area also boasts four times as many theft and harassment incidents as elsewhere in the city and almost three times as many episodes of violence and threat.

“Like so many other big cities, Copenhagen faces a “Central Station challenge,” Lea Bryld of the council’s Safe City department told Urban newspaper. “It is a transit area with a constant flow of people, and that’s reflected in our crime statistics”.

Central Station tops the list with 3,063 reported cases this year. According to Dannie Rise, head of investigations at Station City police station in Vesterbro, pickpockets are the main problem at the Central Station.

“People who have been robbed on the trains often get off at the Central Station and then they come to our station to report the theft,” he said. “But it is important to note that these high figures include both serious cases and regular assistance to people who can’t find their dogs. All cases are noted in our reports”.

Rise underscored that the skewed statistics meant the area’s reputation might be undeserved.

“It’s not necessarily less safe than other areas, so there’s no need for people to avoid the area".

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