New figures have shown there has been a two-fold increase in the number of Danish passports that are lost or have been stolen in the past decade.
In 2013, 34,949 Danes reported that their passports were either missing or stolen, according to police statistics, compared to only 19,257 in 2003.
The issue of lost or stolen passports has been a topic of discussion since the Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 vanished 10 days ago with 239 passengers on board. Two people on board the flight were flying on stolen Austrian and Italian passports.
The Conservative People’s Party’s Tom Behnke described the number as “too high” and insisted there must be an explanation on why there has been such a dramatic increase. He said the rise in lost or missing passports was “alarming” and authorities need to look into whether it’s the same individuals who are losing them. He added that it is not hard to come to the conclusion that they are selling on their passports.
The previous year, police received 36,363 reports of lost or stolen passports.