With so many people traditionally away from their homes, Christmas is often a busy time for burglars and this year proved to be no exception.

28 break-ins were reported in the county of Skåne, in the south of Sweden, alone, while there was also a spate of burglaries in Kalmar, Oskarshamn and Partille.

The worst hit area was the western part of the county, with six burglaries in Helsingborg, five in Malmö and four in Ängelholm.

“Most of the burglaries were discovered in the evening when people came home after Christmas celebrations with relatives and friends,” said Skåne police on their website.

Meanwhile further north in Växjö, Kronoberg County, thieves broke into a safety deposit at the county council building and found keys to several vehicles, including minivans and cars, which they proceeded to steal.

The building itself was vandalised and several computers were also reportedly stolen during the robbery.

There were also a pair of murder cases for police to deal with. In the capital, a 23-year-old man died from stab wounds, following an attack in the stairwell of a block of apartments in Fittja just outside Stockholm.

Three people, two women and one man, have been arrested by local police as their enquiries continue, while a similar investigation was launched in Kristinehamn when a man in his 30s was found dead outdoors in the early hours of Christmas Day.