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.
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.
“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.