Denmark is usually discussed through the image of a relatively safe European country. ⚠Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs currently has no travel advisory in force for Denmark at all — not even its lowest level. But the same material states plainly that robbery, theft and fraud occur in large numbers, and ⚠it specifically notes that Asian visitors tend to be targeted on the assumption that they are carrying a lot of cash.
⚠The official source used here is the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ “basic safety data”, which is an assessment written for Japanese nationals and built on cases involving them. For advisory levels that apply to you, check your own government’s current guidance — but the places and the methods are the same whatever passport you hold. This article turns that material into place, method and defence you can drop into an itinerary (as of July 2026). ⚠“It’s a safe country, so I can leave my wallet out” does not follow — that is the point of this piece.
The advisory level — nothing issued, but the numbers are not small
Japan’s MOFA runs four advisory levels, from Level 1 “exercise caution” to Level 4 “evacuate”, and ⚠Denmark has none of them.
Look at the numbers, though, and 339,464 criminal offences were recorded in Denmark during 2024, down about 2.5% from 2023. Falling, but not a small number — “not enough to call off the trip, but not a level at which you can relax either” is the honest reading of the official data.
Where it happens — exactly along the visitor’s route
⚠The places listed are the airport, the central station, hotels, restaurants and sights in Copenhagen — in other words, the places every visitor passes through. Three sights are named specifically.
- Nyhavn — the colourful houses along the canal. Where you take photographs is where your attention is on the camera
- Amalienborg Palace — the hours around the changing of the guard at noon, when the crowd gathers, need particular care
- Around the Little Mermaid — a standard photo stop, and structurally a place where people pack together and stand still
All three are core to the waterfront route in our Copenhagen Travel Guide, and “don’t go” is barely an option. Which is why the realistic countermeasure is to assume you are going, and change only how you carry things while you are there.
Real cases — the shapes of “kindness” and “distraction”
The past cases in the material have very clearly defined shapes. Reading them once is enough to recognise one in progress.
Airport and public transport — beware the person helping you
- “Let me help you with your bags”: boarding a train from the airport, a stranger helped and one bag was gone. On a train, a fellow passenger helped lift luggage onto the rack, and after he got off the bag had vanished — the kindness is the method
- “Scattering coins”: a man who had been friendly on the train scattered coins on the floor, and the bag on the rack was taken while the victim helped pick them up
- “Surrounded by several people”: waiting on a metro platform, surrounded by several men, and the wallet was gone by the time they noticed
- “There’s something on your clothes”: stopped and told there was paint or ketchup on their clothing, and the bag was taken while their attention was on the stain
- The zip behind you: walking from the terminal to the car park at the airport with the bag worn behind, the zip had been opened and the passport taken / luggage on a trolley taken while changing money
Hotels and restaurants — even the room safe has been opened
- The breakfast room: a bag left on a chair while fetching food was gone on their return
- ⚠The room safe: a passport and cash placed in the in-room safe before going out to dinner were stolen from inside it — “it’s in the safe, so it’s fine” does not always hold
- Check-in and check-out: luggage set on the counter or on the floor is the target
- Two or three seconds: at a bar counter with the bag beside them, a shout outside made them look away for two or three seconds, and the bag was gone — treat the shout as part of the method
- The back of the chair: a bag hung on a chair back in a restaurant was stolen
While sightseeing — the instant you concentrate on the shot
- Absorbed in taking photos on a phone at a sight, valuables including a passport were taken from the bag in that gap
- Walking near the tour-boat landing, the wallet was gone by the time they noticed
- Shopping in a busy street or at a sight, a pouch (containing a passport) inside a handbag was stolen
Areas to stay away from, and firearms incidents
Separately from theft, ⚠incidents involving firearms are also reported. Most do not overlap a visitor’s route, but they are worth knowing.
- ⚠Nørrebro and Christiania: shootings and stabbings believed to be gang-related have occurred
- ⚠Illegal drug dealing: there are places in Copenhagen — clubs and streets — where cannabis and other drugs are sold, and armed dealers have fired on police during enforcement operations. Do not go near it, invitation or not
- Major past incidents: the bombing of the tax authority building in August 2019, and a mass shooting at a shopping centre on the outskirts of Copenhagen in July 2022
Four defences — dismantling the “safe country” reflex
- Find the nerve to refuse help: the person who offers to carry your bags is the single most repeated shape in this country’s case list. End it with “I’ve got it, thanks.”
- Nothing valuable behind you: the zip of a backpack on your back is invisible to you. Swing it to the front in crowds
- Design out the moment away: the breakfast buffet, taking a photo, checking in — every loss happens in the few seconds your luggage and you were apart. Keep valuables on your body and never hang a bag on a chair back
- ⚠Do not carry cash: Denmark is almost entirely cashless in the city, and the metro, buses and harbour buses all take contactless or the app (DOT Tickets). Since there is essentially no occasion that needs cash, you can dismantle the assumption that you are carrying a lot of it — which is the assumption the material says makes Asian visitors a target
Common questions
Is Denmark safe?
No advisory is in force, so officially the answer is yes. ⚠But the same material says of itself that “although it is thought of as a relatively safe country, robbery, theft and fraud occur in large numbers” — an explicit statement that image and reality diverge.
Are Asian visitors more likely to be targeted?
⚠The material states that “Asian visitors in particular tend to be targeted on the assumption that they are carrying a lot of cash”. This is a country you can cross end to end without cash, so carrying none is the most effective single defence.
Can I trust the hotel safe?
⚠There are reports of passports and cash being stolen from inside in-room safes. It is safer not to build on the assumption that the safe makes it safe.
If it happens — settle the order in advance
Researching only after the theft costs you time in time zones and language. ⚠Fix the order alone beforehand and you will not hesitate on the ground.
- 1) Call your card issuer — the sooner it is frozen, the smaller the second wave of damage. What actually helps is having written down the contact number, not the card number
- 2) Report it to the local police — an insurance claim almost always needs a police report. Treat getting the theft certificate in hand as part of the same task
- 3) If the passport is gone, go to the embassy or consulate of your own country — you will need paperwork such as an emergency travel document. ⚠Keeping a passport copy and a passport photo in the cloud makes it faster
- 4) The travel insurance hotline — cover differs between a credit-card policy and a standalone one. Before you leave, at least check whether personal belongings are covered (Travel Insurance Guide)
Related reading — building the trip
- The full trip design → Copenhagen Travel Guide
- Half a day of towers and ramparts → Copenhagen Towers Walk
- The garden that runs into the night → Tivoli Gardens
- The country at a glance → Denmark Travel Guide
⚠Security conditions and advisory levels change. Check your own government’s current travel advice before you go (the published material quoted here is the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ position as of 28 July 2026).
