Ben Hamilton
October 31st, 2017

Share

One in 333 residents of Ishøj have a different final destination in mind (photo: Leif Jørgensen)

Ishøj Municipality in Greater Copenhagen had the highest proportion of imprisoned inhabitants in Denmark in 2016, according to Danmarks Statistik.

Some 3.95 out of every 1,000 served time in prison – a frequency 12 times the rate of the island of Ærø, where just 0.32 saw jail time. The Ishøj rate was at least double that of the figures recorded in 57 of Denmark’s 98 municipalities.

READ MORE: Providing kids with an alternative to life on the streets of Ishøj

Large youth population to blame
Lisbeth Lavrsen, an expert in crime statistics at Danmarks Statistik, said Ishøj’s high composition of youths was a determining factor.

The municipalities of Guldborgsund in southern Zealand (3.73) and Brøndby in Greater Copenhagen (3.39) completed the top three, and the islands of Samsø (0.53) and Læsø (0.55) the bottom three. Gentofte (0.73) had the lowest rate in Greater Copenhagen.

Work-life balance lacking for local politicians
Local politicians work an average of 20 hours a week on their affairs – an almost 100 percent jump on the amount of time they spent in 1970, according to the national centre of applied social science, VIVE. According to its study ‘Kommunalpolitisk barometer 2017’, which surveyed close to a thousand local politicians, 60 percent say the work (on top of their regular jobs) eats into their personal life. Lene Holm Pedersen, a research director at VIVE, attributed the growth to the increase in the number of municipal schools, retirement homes, daycare institutions, and environmental and technical administrations.

Carbon monoxide hard to test for in submarine case
Experts concur that proving Swedish journalist Kim Wall died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning – a new claim made by submariner Peter Madsen, which the police revealed yesterday – could be difficult because her body parts spent such a long time in the water. Forensics teams will carry out tests on Wall’s body, which Madsen admitted (to police on October 14, it transpires) he was responsible for dismembering, once again changing his version of events.

READ MORE: Stabbed 14 times but killed by carbon monoxide poisoning, claims submariner in new explanation

DNA decisive in successful conviction of murderer
A 35-year-old Iraqi man was sentenced to 12 years in prison at Hillerød Court on Monday after being found guilty of stabbing a 47-year-old Somali man to death at Center Sandholm on 2 October 2016. DNA helped to secure the conviction. The killer’s was found on the victim’s face and at the scene at the asylum centre, while the victim’s was found on the killer’s shoe when he was arrested nearly four weeks later in the Netherlands.

Dog breeder accused of overpricing
A Danish breeder made a fortune selling dogs to Swedish Defence between 2006 and 2014 that were hugely overpriced, according to allegations made on the DR radio channel P1. It is believed that Roskilde-based breeder John Jabina charged between 180,000 and 195,000 kroner for most of the dogs, some of which were bought from other breeders for sums closer to 15,000 kroner. Additionally, other breeders have told P1 that many of the dogs were neither properly trained nor exceptional.

Storm council designates areas eligible for compensation
Stormrådet, the storm council, has confirmed that several areas of the country suffered very high sea levels as a result of Storm Ingolf on Sunday, meaning that inhabitants can claim compensation. The four areas are on: the east Jutland coast between Gåsehage and the old Lillebæltsbro; the north Funen coast between the old Lillebæltsbro and Åbyskov; on the northwest Zealand coast between  Skælskør and Korshage; and on the north coast of Lolland and Falster between the Tårn ferry port and Farøbroen. The Funen coast was the worst hit and described as a twice-in-a-century phenomenon, while the other areas were described as 20-year occurrences.

Royalties body loses bid for payments from keep-fit classes
The Danish office of the songwriting royalty collection body Koda has failed in its bid to claim payment from evening school association FOF København for its use of music to exercise to. The case – which reached the Supreme Court after previously being rejected by Sø- og Handelsretten, the maritime and commercial court – revolved around whether playing music at keep-fit classes constitutes a public performance. The Supreme Court cited a previous precedent made in favour of a local gymnastics association.