Posted on 01/29/2014 10:49:04 AM PST by nickcarraway
A would-be thief got a warm surprise after attempting to break into a couple's flat in northern Sweden.
The couple were asleep in their home when they awoke with a start around 1am upon hearing a noise coming from the balcony of their apartment in Kvarnåsen.
Homeowner Tomas Holmberg rushed to the balcony, flung open the door from the inside and managed to overpower the hapless thief who didn't resist and promptly called the police, according to local media reports.
Holmberg then sat the 21-year-old burglar down in the kitchen and offered him some coffee.
"He looked forlorn and quite cold so I thought he could use a gulp of coffee," Holmberg told the local Västerbottens Folkblad newspaper.
The young man subsequently apologized to Holmberg for the attempted robbery and then sat quietly drinking his coffee until police arrived.
In Sweden, an individual has the right to make a citizens' arrest (envarsgripanden) when a perpetrator is caught in the act of committing a crime, provided the culprit is turned over to police as soon as possible.
Earlier this year, officers praised a man in southern Sweden who managed to lock a trio of burglars in the cellar of an apartment building after they set off the an alarm in another ill-fated robbery attempt.
Meanwhile in France, a broke retired crime reporter on a local newspaper was arrested after turning to burglary to supplement his pension.
I always though banks should have a long entry corridor with doors on each end...
When a bank robber starts a robbery lock the outside door so no one else can get int the corridor....
when they bank robber tries to leave lock the inside door once he is in the corridor.
Then you call the cops and point at him and laugh while you wait for the polic to arrive.
(You would not lock the doors if there was someone in there with him.)
I think they should have trap doors in the floor.
even better!!
right at the teller
when someone hands you a note- whoops! down he goes
Like these members of the Swedish Curling Team, from a Simpson's episode.
"Joy is but the shadow pain casts."
He should only have offered him Sanka.
What you describe is a man trap. I’ve seen those in banks in other countries. They’re made out of transparent materials.
There used to be a car wash in Milwaukee that could be viewed from the freeway above (Scrub-a-Dub). This car wash was very popular and engendered long lines of people waiting to get their cars cleaned.
One day a couple of brothers were driving by and spotted their father’s distinctive Cadillac waiting in line for a wash. Knowing that the car had been stolen the night before, they notified the police. The police called the car wash. When the Caddy entered the carwash, the operators locked both doors and waited for the police to arrive.
True story.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief,
and I in my cap,
Had just settled down
for a long winter’s nap,
When out on the lawn
there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed
to see what was the matter.
Away to the window
I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters
and threw up the sash.
I believe that’s known as a sally port. I’ve seen them used by banks in foreign countries, but without the long corridor. Just two sets of doors within five feet of each other. One set will not open until the other is fully closed and locked. That precludes the possibly of multiple assailants entering at one time, and hinders escape as you described.
Wow. And people have this image of the Canadians being super-nice. The Canadians got nothing on the Swedes!
I recall seeing one in a BofA in Palmdale, CA. It was interesting, as I’d never seen one before.
"This is some serious gourmet s---. Usually, me and Vince would be happy with some freeze-dried Taster's Choice, right? And he springs this serious gourmet s--- on us. What flavor is this?"
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