The Viking tourist goods shop has been broken into so many times that the owner has reached the limits of his patience, jokingly mentioning “electric barbed wire” as a possible security measure.
Vísir reports that the Viking shop at the Laugavegur location has been broken into three times so far this November, and four times at all locations, with two break-ins happening within a single week.
Sigurður Guðmundsson, the owner of the Viking shops, told reporters that the thief, or thieves, in question almost always steal the same thing: knives. These thefts have cost the store hundreds of thousands of krónur.
“These thefts are intolerable in general,” he told reporters. “This is utter destruction and it’s an incredible amount of money that disappears from these stores. Not just mine, either, but everywhere. I feel like it’s increasing rather than the reverse.”
The matter is being investigated by the police and the security system is being improved, although Sigurður is not particularly optimistic.
“No matter what you try to protect the place, they always get in,” he said. “Maybe we should set up electrified barbed wire. It would be a little funny to fry the next thief. Not lethally, but rather to lightly fry him, just as a warning. I can imagine seeing the poor guy hanging on the wires, crying and begging for mercy. Harsh but fair.”
Sigurður also asks any witnesses of break-ins at any Viking store to contact him at theviking@simnet.is. A reward is promised for valuable information.
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