Sjælland · 11 November 2026
Teachers, Cameras and a Million-Dollar Hole
A bill lets teachers physically intervene with pupils. Ringsted is installing nine cameras and plugging a DKK 24.8 million budget gap.
The Folketing on Tuesday gave first reading to a bill that will give teachers in the public school system the opportunity to physically intervene when dealing with pupils. In Ringsted, the municipal council has decided to install 9 new cameras in the town centre and to cover a budget shortfall of 24.8 million. At the same time, Lidl is recalling chicken gyros because of the risk of salmonella.
Teachers may be allowed to intervene physically
The Folketing (Danish parliament) on Tuesday held the first reading of a bill that will give teachers in folkeskolen (the public primary and lower secondary school) the option to intervene physically if, for example, a pupil physically or mentally harasses others in the classroom, or if a pupil significantly disrupts the lesson for others. Physical intervention must, however, still be the last resort, according to the bill.
The chairman of the national organisation Skole og Forældre believes that the bill is unnecessary and will create more ambiguities and questions of interpretation. The branch chairman in Slagelse Lærerkreds is in favour of the proposal and says it is about the teachers' legal protection. Education Minister Magnus Heunicke (S) says the purpose is to stop situations before they escalate into violence. The bill has now been sent on to the committee.
9 new cameras to keep an eye on Ringsted
Ringsted Kommune’s municipal council (the municipality’s elected political leadership) decided on Monday that there should be more video surveillance in the city centre. This comes after the municipality observed an increase in vandalism, violent incidents and unsafe behaviour around the square, the city centre and the market pavilion during the summer, said Mayor Andreas Karlsen (K).
The municipality has received a grant of 200.000 kroner from Rigspolitiet to purchase and install the surveillance equipment. The plan is for 9 cameras in 3 areas: Ringsted city centre, Søgade Plads and Pavillon Tingstedet. For the municipality to obtain the permit, the cameras must be installed by 18 December at the latest. The mayor would welcome more video surveillance in the coming years.
Ringsted municipal council covers a gap of 24.8 million
A unanimous city council in Ringsted backed a solution on Monday evening to the budget error that recently cost the accounting manager his job. The council will cover the 24.8 million that is missing in 2027. But in the following years, there will be a shortfall of 33.4 million kroner per year.
"We look with concern at the consequences in the forecast years. This will put considerable pressure on our future council meetings," said Mette Ahm-Petersen (S). Benjamin Pedersen (K), however, urged calm: "It may sound as if Ringsted Municipality's finances are about to collapse. They are not."
Mayor fights for datacenter at Nørre Alslev
Guldborgsund Kommune's mayor, Simon Hansen (S), recently wrote to the Folketing's Climate, Energy and Supply Committee and requested an audience. He wants to try to gain support for a datacenter at Nørre Alslev, which according to the mayor is expected to create 300 permanent jobs and can generate waste heat for district heating.
On Facebook, he wrote, among other things: "It would be absurd if we produce the green electricity, but let other countries take away the investments, the jobs and the business opportunities."
Eelgrass from the beach becomes acoustic panels
The company Søuld makes acoustic products from eelgrass harvested along Danish coasts. The eelgrass is transformed into acoustic panels for restaurants, hotels, offices and receptions. According to one of the co-founders, the fibers in eelgrass contain air pockets, which makes it enormously effective at absorbing sound when it is transformed into mats.
The co-founder has worked with eelgrass since she was 20 years old, and is the daughter of a seaweed gatherer from Læsø, where there is a tradition of using seaweed as a building material. "There isn't much eelgrass left on Læsø," she says.
Lolland gets an international ambassador
A teacher-training student at Byskolen in Nakskov was appointed international ambassador for Lolland Kommune in September. The role is voluntary, and she is to help people of other nationalities settle in. It was Lolland Kommune’s settlement consultant who asked whether she would like to be ambassador.
She came from Moldova, studied medical physics in Romania, and was most recently an Erasmus student in Copenhagen before moving to Nakskov 8 years ago. This summer, she helped organise Global Festival in Nakskov.
Latest News
- Lidl is recalling Eridanous chicken gyros because a spot check has shown a risk of salmonella in the batch with the expiry date 22 May next year. TV 2 Øst
- Denmark's smallest bird, the goldcrest, has begun to appear again after being a rare sight this autumn, according to DOF BirdLife; at Gedser Bird Observatory, the season's first goldcrest was caught on 30 September. TV 2 Øst
- Culture Minister Zenia Stampe (R) has answered a critical question about her performance on DR's "Debatten" on 29 October: "I thought, 'give it a rest.' And that was it." TV 2 Øst
- Queen Margrethe attended the annual meeting at Det Classenske Fideicommis on Corselitze Gods on Tuesday, located about 12 kilometres from Nykøbing Falster. TV 2 Øst
- A major building fire on Bennebo Gade in Mørkøv on Tuesday evening, shortly before 22:00, more or less burned a house completely to the ground; no one was living in the house, and 1 person had to be treated for smoke inhalation by an ambulance at the scene. TV 2 Øst
Automatically translated from Danish. Written from DR Nyheder and the regional TV 2 stations; each story links to its source.