A lotofwhathappens inSvalbardgoes through
the
sysselmann
,orgovernor’soffice,whose
main jobsareupholding thearchipelago’s
brutal environmental lawsandactingas the
police.FormerKirkenespolicechiefOddOlsen
Ingerø isservingasecond termasgovernor–
hewas incharge from2001-2005,andcame
back in2009–overseeinga teamof26.“The
environment lawsessentiallymakeall activity
illegal,”hesays,admitting thatSvalbardcould
beoneof themostbureaucraticplaceson
earth.“Thechallenge is to implement themso
theyallowpeoplehere todowhat theyneed to
do,whether it’s tourismorscience.”
sysselmannen.no
Olaf
THE ART IST (WHO IS NOT SANTA CLAUS)
OlafStorø isnot just themost famousartist in
Longyearbyen,he’ssomethingof a local legend– in
thesummerhewearsshortsandflip-flops; come
winter,hisbeardseeminglyappearsovernight.
Wemeet inhis impressive three-storeyhome/
studio,which isdominatedbyagiantSteinmesse
&Stolberg lithographypress, onwhichhemakes
almostall ofhisart.
Svalbard, saysOlaf,was“adreamgrowingup.
Ifirst camehere in 1989 foranexhibition inNy-
Ålesund.Everythingsoldand itwasabigsuccess.”
HesoongotaplaceonSvalbard, andmoved tohis
currentdigs in2000.Whenhebought thehouse
itwasasimplecabin, buthe’sbuilt itupover
theyears.Hestillhasa studio inKristiansand,
butLongyearbyen ishome, andhis 15-year-old
daughtergoes to the local school.
Svalbard,hesays, is“an illness. Itgoes in through
your feetandsticks inyourheart. It’s thesilence,
thecolours, thedarkness, the light, the friends, the
stories. It’salsoanicesociety tohaveadaughter in
– if somethingwere tohappen, I’dhaveacallwithin
tenminutes. I tend tohearwhat’sgoingon.”
storoe.no
Odd
THE GOVERNOR
Leif
THE PRIEST
LeifMagneHelgesen is theworld’s
northernmost priest, andpleasingly
unorthodox– the rugged53-year-old
Lutheranpastoroversees services at the
smallwoodenchurch,welcomingPolish
Catholics,OrthodoxRussians, Buddhist
Thais andgodless scientists. “Everyone’s
welcome,”he says. “This is a strong
community andwe stick together.”
The short answer
would seem tobe:
not a lot. In thepast
decade, thenumber
of reported crimes
on Svalbardwas
between 70-130.
GovernorOddOlsen
Ingerø says there
are three to four
violent incidents
on the archipelago
each year, and
some crimes are
“people taking the
wrong shoes or
jackets”. The vast
majority are traffic
offences, including
drinkdriving on
snowmobiles (you’ll
be airliftedoff the
island immediately
at your ownexpense
if you’reover the
limit). Thepolicedo
a lotmore search
and rescuemissions
– 70 to80 a year.
Ingerø admits his job
is less about law-
enforcement and
more about granting
permission. “You
needpermission for
everything here,”
he says.
What the
policedo
n
—Svalbard
⁄
People
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