• Sweden edition

Swedish police give gang of left shoe thieves the boot

Published: 3 Jan 10 09:19 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/24174/20100103/

Police in Skåne in southern Sweden have busted an international ring of left shoe robbers.

Two 50-something year-old men have been arrested for stealing a total of seven single shoes, reported Sydsvenskan newspaper.

On Saturday afternoon, staff members at a Malmö shopping center witnessed two men stealing several left shoes worth a total of 10,000 kronor ($1,400). When the footwear thieves returned to the store several hours later, they were arrested by police.

According to detective Stig Möller of the Malmö police, it is not an uncommon modus operandi. The thieves will first steal the left shoes in Sweden and then travel to Denmark to steal their right counterparts.

On Saturday night, police searched men's car for the missing footwear.

TT/The Local (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6518)

What do you think? Leave your comment below.

Fark It! Digg This  Share everywhere
Send to a friend Printable version Twitter This

Your comments about this article:

The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.

09:57 January 3, 2010 by Keith #5083
What? Yet another right-wing conspiracy attacking the liberal left?
11:13 January 3, 2010 by glamshek
hahhahhhha. Good comment
14:49 January 3, 2010 by G Kin
Why do the job twice?

Why take the risk twice?

Doesn't like very smart thieves if that is the case.
15:38 January 3, 2010 by calebian22
If it is such a common modus operani, why wouldn't Sweden and Denmark choose to only display left shoes? I can see the police and vendors now, "How will we ever outwit these diabolical fiends?"

I hope they don't pull a muscle thinking too hard about how to prevent this crime in the future. Seems more like something from Scooby Doo than anything resembling a gang.
16:07 January 3, 2010 by DAVID T
It's great the police did something - mind you would have thought they would have been looking for a 4 year old child that went missing
18:24 January 3, 2010 by peropaco
Seems to me like a lot of work just to steal shoes.. The cost to cross the Danish-Swedish bridge Öresundsbron is roughly 40€ one way and what about the petrol and parking fees.. That value proposition seems rather poor.. I thinkt he thieft had only one leg.
23:13 January 3, 2010 by ringorm
You really think these people pay for anything peropaco?
23:24 January 3, 2010 by travels
Of course it's more important to report on this story than about he Somali guy that just tried to kill the Danish Mohammed cartoonist.
01:13 January 4, 2010 by Keith #5083
So now Somali is part of Sweden, huh? Or have the Danes invaded the Swedish cartoon colony? What the ... has TheLocal (a SWEDISH online newspaper) got to do with either of those,#8 travels????

hint: The Local means...NOT international unless it involves Sweden.

Xtra hint: try CNN, BBC,Foxnews,GP.Aftonbladet,SV1,SV2,SV?,MSN,Somali weekly reporter, Dansk Nyheter, etc.etc.etc.
10:05 January 4, 2010 by salalah
This is just too funny. Really important to report about. I think the thieves are really smart, they figured out that in Sweden the displayed shoes are the left ones and in Denmark the right ones. The store clerks didn't expect that someone would take just one shoe, so they didn't guard the shoes like they were gold.

Of course, stealing is wrong, but the thieves were quite innovative...
ADD YOUR COMMENT   (YOU MUST LOG IN OR REGISTER TO MAKE A COMMENT)
Today's headlines
Swedish blogger snaps commuting 'macho men'

Swedish blogger snaps commuting 'macho men'

A Stockholm woman fed up with male passengers on public transport taking up the space of women sitting next to them, has started a blog snapping secret pics of straddle-legged commuters and posting them on the internet. READ (32 COMMENTS) »

Swedish town gives 'Negro Village' new name

Swedish town gives 'Negro Village' new name

A suburb of Mjällby, southern Sweden, known by locals as ‘Negro Village’ for forty years, will be changing its name after a storm of recent attention. READ (9 COMMENTS) »

German 'tourist' living in Gothenburg airport

A 27-year-old German man has been living at the Gothenburg Landvetter airport for two months having no wish to return to Germany and nowhere to go in Sweden. READ (12 COMMENTS) »

Dramatic rise in dementia numbers in Sweden

Dramatic rise in dementia numbers in Sweden

Every second Swede is at risk of developing dementia, according to a new study from Umeå University, which concentrated on the 85+ population in northern Sweden. READ »

Masked man raped cyclist in Malmö park

After a 28-year-old woman was pulled off her bicycle and raped by an unidentified assailant in Malmö over the weekend, and police are fearing it could be the work of a budding serial rapist. READ (14 COMMENTS) »

Narcolepsy victims in new compensation bid

Narcolepsy victims in new compensation bid

Families of children in Sweden suffering from narcolepsy caused by vaccination for the swine flu can expect some form of compensation, Swedish health minister Göran Hägglund said on Sunday in response to new calls for help from parents. READ (1 COMMENT) »

Löfven ready to negotiate over nuclear power

Löfven ready to negotiate over nuclear power

The new leader of the Social Democrats Stefan Löfven has indicated he's ready to negotiate with the government over the future of nuclear power despite a previous party decision to phase out nuclear energy in Sweden. READ (3 COMMENTS) »

One in five Swedes 'believes in ghosts'

One in five Swedes 'believes in ghosts'

One in five Swedes believes that people rise from the grave after they've died, a new survey has shown. READ (14 COMMENTS) »

More National

Highlights from Follow Sweden

20 things to know before moving to Sweden

As diverse as Sweden is, there are a few societal norms that are distinctly Swedish. Understanding a handful of them will hopefully prepare you culturally before you relocate. When you're invited home to a Swede, you better be on time and take your shoes off, writes expat Lola Akinmade-Åkerström. Read more »

How far can English take you in Sweden?

Sweden is a country where almost everyone can speak English. So why bother to learn Swedish? Edina Varnagy from Hungary managed with English for a whole year but then found that Swedish could open doors – to a job, a social life and greater understanding. Read more »


Blog Update: Julie's Nordic Island

12 February 21:30

The consciousness of one »

"The ice dripped in the winter sun. It was the first day when the light had been intense enough to cause dripping in the sunlight. To hear it was an extraordinary wakeup call. The cycle was happening again as it always does, always will (or so we think). I imagined that on my summer island, the bees..." READ »

Highlights
The Local
SOCIETY »
The Local's Oliver Gee finds out why the star of Sweden's version of 'The Office' thinks Sweden is the most PC country in the world
Micheal Brauer/Flickr (File)
SCIENCE & TECH »
'Drunkorexia' on the rise in Sweden: report
Alexander Lervik and Johan Carper
LIFESTYLE »
Seven Swedish designs that will blow your mind
Eva Rinadi Celebrity and Live Music Photography/Flickr
SOCIETY »
Star Wars in Swedish causes fan outrage
www.dotoday.se
LIFESTYLE »
What's On: The Local's guide to upcoming attractions and events in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö.
OLIKA Publishing
OPINION »
The Swedish language needs a new pronoun free of preconceived notions about gender, a Swedish linguist and representatives from a publishing house argue
Madonna set for July 4th concert in Sweden
SOCIETY »
Madonna set for July 4th concert in Sweden
TV4
GALLERY »
An inside look at 'The Office' in Swedish
Georgios M.W (File)
SOCIETY »
Swedish mother gave 3-year-old cigs and beer
Photo: Fredrik Persson/Scanpix
SOCIETY »
A duvet cover designed to look like cardboard boxes, on sale at a luxury department store in Stockholm, has some arguing that the city's homeless are being exploited for profit.
Ann Catrin Brockman/Flickr (File)
LIFESTYLE »
Five Swedish songs that never made Eurovision
Q&A with Swenglish comedy star Ben Kersley
LIFESTYLE »
Swenglish comedy star Ben Kersley explains how ‘three bespectacled English guys’ plan to make Swedes laugh
Photo: Screenshot YouTube
SOCIETY »
Move over Bugs – a Swedish bunny is rapidly becoming the most popular rabbit in the world!
Photo: Sony Pictures
SPONSORED ARTICLE
How Millennium films tap deep into Swedish angst
Photo: Helena Wahlman
SPONSORED ARTICLE
Braving the cold: Ten reasons to spend winter in Sweden
Photo: ECLA
SPONSORED ARTICLE
A truly international education at the heart of Berlin
Highlights from Follow Sweden
Swedish word of the day

fin

adjective

Fin means anyhting from sweet to proper. When someone says, Du är så fin it's quite a compliment.

Latest news from The Local in Germany

More news from Germany at thelocal.de

Latest news from The Local in Switzerland

More news from Switzerland at thelocal.ch

Latest news from The Local in France

More news from France at thelocal.fr

Latest news from The Local in Norway

More news from Norway at thelocal.no

Blog
Highlights from Follow Sweden
New book about Sweden – get to know the country

Sweden – Up North, Down to Earth is a book about Sweden today. A country of natural beauty and open space, and a society focused on equality, human rights and sustainability. Meet regular and astonishing Swedes, supercars and indie rock bands, vampires and royalties.

Buy your copy of Sweden – Up North, Down to Earth from Sweden Bookshop

Search News


Register

Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss

REGISTER FOR FREE »

Jobs in Sweden, in English

512 jobs available
216 new jobs this week
0 new jobs today

ALL JOBS »

Get on the Tennis Court with www.babolatshop.se
The new Online Tennis Store with the largest selection of Babolat Products in Sweden
http://www.babolatshop.se
Turning Point Counseling
Turning Point Counselling centre offers the international community of Stockholm a safe space for personal development, counselling and coaching.
http://www.turning-point.se/show.asp
Swedish Down Town
Swedish Down Town PR Consulting and Productions is an innovative business company which provides valuable assistance with Public Relations and Communications in the swedish and the international market.
www.swedishdowntown.com
The Local's new Marketplace
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
English Speaking Therapist Stockholm
British-Australian Male Counsellor. Counselling Therapy for Depression, Mental Health, Sex, Relationship & Expat Issues
08-559 22 636 or CLICK HERE
Counseling in English
Individuals & Couples - Stockholm Beth Rogerson PhD - Clinical, Marriage & Family Therapist
Click or call 08-5580 1266 now
Doctor of Psychology
Therapy in English in Stockholm Trained in California Individuals & Couples (08) 93 81 48 FREE phone consultation
Visit anxiousorblue.se