ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: The Olsen gang is a 14-episode film series about a gang of three thieves, who are very imaginative, but often unsuccessful in their burglary attempts "to score a real hit". In Denmark, the German Democratic Republic and Poland the films about Egon Olsen were blockbusters and still enjoy cult status there. Apart from a small amount of popular literature, the phenomenon of the Olsen gang has never been scientifically investigated from a forensic point of view so far. METHODS: The films, produced between 1968 and 1998 (more than 22 hours of footage), were evaluated and compared with each other under forensic, legal and forensic-psychiatric aspects. The cooperation between the three scientific disciplines was intended to add a new perspective to the crime comedies. RESULTS: A wide variety of medically relevant facts are presented in the movies. Even with all their criminal enthusiasm the Olsen gang commits almost no crimes against anyone's physical integrity. The films show legally comparable crimes, especially cases of severe band theft. Based on the criminal offenses committed, no gang member suffers from a psychiatric disorder fulfilling the criteria defined in Sections 20, 21 German Criminal Code. CONCLUSIONS: The great international success of the Olsen gang is certainly attributable to the imaginative theft plans for "fund-raising" and their almost pitiful failure. Many forensically relevant aspects are not shown in a realistic way. The accumulation of offenses and periods of imprisonment could result in preventive detention. The offenders are driven by normal psychological motives.
