Police in the Swedish county of Värmland have urged residents not to wear branded clothing or expensive jewelry when walking through the county’s largest city of Karlstad due to a rise in robberies and migrant gang violence.
As reported by the Samnytt news outlet, citizens are being told to dress poorly to ensure they aren’t robbed, with local authorities identifying several areas within the inner city and the suburbs that should be avoided.
It’s a bad idea to wear any expensive items, such as “a branded vest, gold chains, or a cap,” said Tia Jylhä, the crime prevention coordinator for Karlstad district police.
“We see trends that young people rob others and sell the items” she added.
The young people referred to are primarily recruits to migrant gangs, which have surged in notoriety across Sweden in recent years, as stated by several high-ranking law enforcement officers and Magdalena Andersson when she was serving as Swedish prime minister last year.
[pp id=75119]
“Integration was poor, and alongside this, we have experienced intense immigration. Our society was too weak, while money for the police and social services was too little,” Andersson said of the state of affairs that has enabled migrant gangs to thrive in Swedish cities.
“The level of violence in the capital is high, and the number of people involved is frightening. Every day, three new people join the criminal environment, often children and young people,” warned National Police Chief Anders Thornberg back in May in reference to Stockholm; however, this is happening across Sweden.
[pp id=40833]
And in Karlstad, police have reported that gun sales have increased exponentially among young people in the city.
“It is a criminal market that is difficult to attack and where the legislation lags behind,” explained Jylhä.
The city has seen a rise in its migrant population in recent years. According to demographic statistics published last year, 15 percent of the city’s residents were born outside of Sweden, with just over 9 percent arriving in Sweden from outside of Europe.
