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| Prices up, but crime way down Criminal activity in Svalbard drops 51 percent, consumer costs rise 2.7 percent in 2009 Getting 1.2 billion Google hits in a day isn't a bad start, but Jørn Hurum says he hopes discussion about a controversial fossil discovery is just beginning. Crime in Svalbard was "historically low" in 2009, including no reported sex, violence or drug incidents, according to the governor's office. "We must take into account unreported incidents, but this is a small and transparent society, and we have no indications that there's an offense of significance that we would not pick up," Deputy Gov. Lars Fause told Nordlys. The governor's office investigated 39 crimes, a 51 percent drop from 80 in 2008. "The decrease is due primarily to the number of acquisitive crime being more than halved since 2008," a report by the governor's office states. They also cleared more incidents and in a shorter period of time than the national average, according to the report. It states 57 percent of crimes and 93 percent of minor offenses were solved, compared to the national averages of 34 percent and 80 percent, respectively. Case processing took 32 days for crimes and 46 days for lesser offenses in Svalbard, compared to 123 days and 79 days nationally. Major cases in 2009 included a 500,000 kroner fine against the Russian firm Trust Artikugol for a mine fire, two officers fined and imprisoned for causing a shipwreck off Bjørnøya, and the theft of several hundred thousand kroner from a safe in Ny-Ålesund. Svalbard also differed statistically from the mainland when it came to consumer prices in 2009, but in this instance totals were higher. The consumer price index for Svalbard rose 2.7 percent from October 2008 to October 2009, compared to 2.1 percent on the mainland, according to a report by Longyearbyen officials. Electricity and district heating were the largest factors, increasing 18.5 percent and 4.2 percent. Rent and food prices in Svalbard rose 3.3 percent and 3.9 percent, respectively. Published in the Feb. 2, 2010, print edition. |
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