Woman who lives on island where it’s dark 24/7 explains what crime is like
If the ever darkening days are getting you glum, spare a thought for the folks up in Svalbard.
The islands, located between Norway and the North Pole, spend much of the year in total darkness - but it ain't all bad.
Watch local Cecilia Blomdahl explain what crime is like in the area here:
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Of course, winter brings with it a load of problems, such as increasing energy bills, difficulty exercising, and cold extremities; but one very serious concern for people is safety.
Darkness brings with it a cloak of anonymity for criminals, hence we're always so flabbergasted when a crook nicks a bike or snatches someone's phone in broad daylight.
As such, people often ask Cecilia what crime is like in Svalbard, which spends months on end in total darkness.
Luckily though, during these periods of blackout, the locals seemingly don't take the opportunity to run riot.
In a video shared with her 2.3 million TikTok followers, she explained: "I can happily tell you that our crime rate is extremely low, it's almost non-existent. And it doesn't change when we have four months of darkness.
"Sysselmestern is our police force up here and they report that we have between 130 and 150 cases every year.
"And the majority of these are petty theft or criminal damage. Something like driving your snowmobile drunk or hitting another person at a bar probably will land you in prison.
"You would then serve that sentence on the mainland because we don't have a prison up here."
Despite the lack of light then, Cecilia feels super safe in Svalbard. However, while nature-wise the worst we might have to contend with in the UK is a chip-crazed seagull or a pesky pack of otters, up there they have more fearful beasts to contend with.
She continued: "So both as a woman and a human being I have never felt safer living somewhere.
"We really only have to worry about the polar bears, and I mean for them we are armed - so don't mess with us."
The period of darkness in Svalbard is called polar night, and Cecilia has learnt ways of living with it.
Speaking to LADbible in 2020, she said: "It is very easy to lose your daily rhythm during this time as there is nothing telling your body when it is daytime. I find a wake up light helps out a lot for getting up in the morning and telling your body it's daytime.
"And also eating vitamin D, nutritious food and working out is, for me, vital during this time of year. I know of many people who have by mistake gone to work in the middle of the night because they took an afternoon nap, woke up at 8pm but thought they slept the night and it's 8am they've gone to work."
So getting stabbed might not be a big worry in Svalbard, but rocking up to work in the middle of the night is an all too real danger.
Jake Massey