In Denmark's nightlife areas, access is prohibited to people with criminal records for violent crimes. "Before the pandemic, we saw several terrible episodes where innocent young people were assaulted in popular nightlife areas," said Justice Minister Nick Haekkerup, "and now that we are reopening, this measure will help victims and everyone else to go out more safely at night." The director of the Copenhagen police, in agreement with him, believes that this way potential new crimes are stopped. One might wonder if such a measure should be implemented in large cities, like Barcelona.
Is it fair? I don't think so. Is it understandable? That it is understandable, perhaps yes. But is it effective? Well, I don't think so.
It can happen that, precisely, young women who go out, thinking there are no criminals, let their guard down and, for example, do not have friends accompany them when going to take public transport in the early morning. There will always be new criminals, not on file. I would say that to enforce the measure, to prevent people who have been convicted from entering nightlife districts, police asking for papers are needed. Many. And I believe that, in reality, all these police asking for papers could be patrolling in nightclubs, train or metro stations, lonely streets, parking lots or outdoor drinking areas. And that there was surveillance in nightclubs, train or metro stations, lonely streets, parking lots or outdoor drinking areas would indeed produce a deterrent effect.