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Hard-hitting campaign to feature families of illegal fireworks victims
TheCopenhagenPost
December 14th, 2015
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This article is more than 9 years old.
The number of injuries last year was at a record high
The frequent explosions that can be heard during an evening at this time of year are testament to Danes’ apparent love affair with fireworks. And the particularly loud ones are a sign that some of them are bought under the counter. The public safety authority Sikkerhedsstyrelsen is behind a new campaign that seeks to prevent the sometimes-fatal use of illegal fireworks, DR reports.
Injuries at record high
The number of injuries due to illegal fireworks was at a record high last year at 48, prompting Sikkerhedsstyrelsen to develop the campaign that is due to be launched tomorrow.
Heidi Jensen, the widow of Bo Schmidt, a man who lost his life in a fireworks accident last year, features in the film.
“I think people need to think carefully because they are risking their lives. They should think about all the people they will injure if it goes wrong,” she said.
Targeting young men
Mette Cramon, the head of communications at Sikkerhedsstyrelsen, said that featuring the loved ones of victims was a deliberate attempt to influence the campaign’s target group.
“The vast majority of victims are men between 15 and 40 years old, who are difficult to reach because they think they are immortal,” she said.
“We therefore want the campaign to highlight that accidents with illegal fireworks don’t just affect oneself.”
The police also have a focus on illegal fireworks at this time of year. The national police Rigspolitiet have handled 336 cases involving deadly chrysanthemum bombs in the first 11 months of the year, more than twice as many as last year.
Henrik Framvig, the deputy chief superintendent at the National Centre of Crime Prevention, said that local police have been advised to be vigilant.
“We have asked the police districts to be very attentive about fireworks in their daily work,” he said.
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