ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses property crime in Copenhagen from the 1690s to the 1750s. It appears that soldiers were by far the most larcenous in the capital and committed the majority of the thefts and housebreakings there. In spite of the use of the term gang, there was not much organisation among thieves. On the other hand, the mass of criminal soldiers added up to a subculture of “wild life” which nourished the thefts. The conditions, under which the soldiers lived, with strict measures to prevent desertion, poor pay and a lot of free time, facilitated this behaviour. In addition, the recruitment abroad of men about whom the army knew very little, led to the hiring of numerous deserters from other armies and people with previous criminal experiences.
