And you'll note how things have changed - the 2008 Quality of Living ranking that they quote has Iceland as the most peaceful country. I wonder how it will stack up this year after riots and economic upheaval.
A turf war between drug gangs is turning one of Europe’s safest cities into a shooting gallery.Denmark’s worst-ever bout of violence between criminals intensified last week with three shootings that left two dead in Copenhagen, the capital. That prompted the government on March 4 to propose some of the most sweeping laws in the country’s legal history by lengthening jail terms and giving police more surveillance powers, including wiretaps.
Copenhagen places third among European capitals in Mercer Investment Consulting’s 2008 Quality of Living rankings, which assesses crime rates and personal safety. Vienna and Bern, the Swiss capital, were ahead. Denmark is the world’s second-most peaceful country behind Iceland, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, which ranks 140 countries.
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my 36 years serving the Copenhagen police force,” said Henrik Svindt, who heads an anti-gang unit formed last week. “The worst thing is that some of the people killed or injured are innocent bystanders.”
Spraying Bullets
In 2008, there were 60 shootings in Copenhagen, three times the number in the previous year. The latest round of conflict pits about 100 bikers against an estimated 300 gang members in the city, police say.
On March 2, two masked gangsters sprayed a Copenhagen bar frequented by Hells Angels members with at least 10 bullets. The shooters, who haven’t been caught, killed one and wounded three people who weren’t linked to bikers.
“This is not the city I know,” said Bjarke Lungholt, 35, a medical intern who lives with his young family in the Noerrebro district, where the majority of the attacks have taken place. “It’s bizarre that it happens so openly and frequently.” [Bloomberg.com]
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