Parties want deadline for preparation of shelters

There is no deadline for how quickly a shelter must be ready for use – but several parties, including the Danish Democrats, the Conservatives, and the Socialist People’s Party, are now looking to change that.

This is reported by dr.dk.

Until 2003, shelters could be used for other purposes, such as storage, but they were required to be ready for use within 24 hours in case of war or crisis. But today there is no upper limit.

It is the municipalities that are responsible for the shelters.

In the latest count in 2024, there were 3.6 million spots in shelters and secure rooms – which include both public and private spaces. However, the condition of the rooms is unknown, and therefore it is also unknown how long it would take to prepare them.

Among the parties arguing for the reinstatement of a deadline is the Socialist People’s Party. Speaking to dr.dk, the party’s political spokesperson Lisbeth Bech-Nielsen said:

“It doesn’t make sense to have shelters that take months before they can be used, in case the unthinkable happens.”

According to the Danish Emergency Management Agency (Beredskabsstyrelsen), the terms “shelters” and “secure rooms” refer to all types of reinforced spaces designed to protect the population from air attacks. The rooms are constructed to be robust for protection purposes but are not prepared and therefore cannot immediately be used in the event of unforeseen incidents.