Law enforcement in Greenland

 

Law enforcement in Greenland, a self-governing province of Denmark, is provided by a branch of the Rigspolitiet, the Danish national police service. Since 2006, Greenland has constituted one of the 12 police districts of the Rigspolitiet, headed by a commissioner based in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland.

Levels of crime

The country is thought to be relatively safe. "Single women travelling in Greenland don't generally encounter any special worries." (Lonely Planet) Greenland's main problems in crime are generally linked to drinking or drug use, which has led to outlawing of alcohol in some towns and villages (Lonely Planet). Some bars like the "disreputable Hotel Tupilak disco produces plenty of broken glass." Other issues such as domestic violence and solvent abuse also plague Greenland. Most large towns of populations upwards of 1,000 and some smaller ones have a police presence with a contact number to keep on good relations with locals and tourists. For serious offenses, Lonely Planet's guide to Greenland and the Arctic is quick to point out that while the bigger towns have jails, the sentences are brief and its inmates can be found drinking on holidays out of the jail. The worst criminals are sent to Denmark, but this happens rarely.