Stop and search zone in Odense, dead sperm whale washes up near Skagen, freezing weather and more news from Denmark this Monday.
Police introduce stop-and-search zone after explosion in Odense
A stop-and-search zone or vistiationszone has been put in place in parts of Odense after an explosion in a residential building on Sunday, Funen Police said
The explosion and subsequent fire occurred overnight between Saturday and Sunday in a stairwell in the building, which is located in the Korsløkkeparken area.
A stop-and-search zone, which allows police to search individuals without cause, is now in place for southeastern parts of the city. The zone also means increased penalties can be given for certain offences if they are committed within the affected area.
The zone is currently set to remain in place until February 15th.
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Police have linked the incident to criminal gangs in the city.
“Today’s incident reflects a callous, ruthless and downright deranged mindset. That is why we are now making use of zones to give us greater freedom to carry out stop-and-searches,” senior officer Arne Gram of Funen Police said to Ritzau.
“This is not a method we use lightly, as it represents a serious intrusion into public privacy, but in light of today’s incident we see no alternative,” he said.
WInd makes freezing temperatures feel even more freezing
The current, very cold, pattern of weather is continuing into the first week of February, with temperatures around freezing but strong winds making it feel considerably colder.
Snow is also forecast in a number of areas, which also gives potential snowdrifts in combination with the wind.
“The week we’re going into will be wintry with cold, wind and snow in some places,” DMI meteorologist Hans Peter Wandler told news wire Ritzau this morning.
“When we look at the weather on Monday and Tuesday, it will be days with a little bit of snow locally, but it might also be cloudy in some places with snow,” he said.
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Stranded sperm whale found dead off north coast
A sperm whale that was spotted in the Ålbæk Bay near Skagen on Saturday afternoon has died, the Danish Nature Agency has confirmed.
The Nature Agency has inspected the whale and measured it at a length of 13.7 metres.
“A sperm whale is a large whale, and it is certainly not something we see every day,” Jesper Blom Hansen, head of the Nature Agency in Vendsyssel, told Ritzau.
The Agency plans to collaborate with the Fisheries and Maritime Museum in Esbjerg to recover the whale and examine it, and hopes to establish the cause of death.
“This is absolutely not an easy task. It is extremely heavy, so large machinery will be needed to recover it,” Hansen said..
The last time a sperm whale stranded along Danish coasts was in 2016 off west coast island Fanø. The whale was also dead when it was found on that occasion.
Thousands join Danish war vets’ silent march after Trump ‘insult’
Between 8,000 and 10,000 people joined an emotional silent march in Copenhagen on Saturday organised by Denmark’s Veterans’ Association to protest Donald Trump’s comments downplaying the role of non-US NATO troops in Afghanistan.
The association had expected well over a thousand people to take part, and Danes braved subzero temperatures en masse to support their veterans and the 44 Danes who died in Afghanistan.
Police told AFP they estimated the number of demonstrators were “at least 10,000”, while organisers put the turnout at between 8,000 and 10,000.