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Lag och oordning: Red Hook’s Ikea is a hotbed of criminal activity

red hook ikea
It’s hard out there on the Ikea streets. via Flickr user Ham Hock

A long time ago, we told you about the best ways to get your malms ‘n’ things back from the Red Hook Ikea. It was a useful article, but in keeping with the times, we’ll suggest you also keep your head on a swivel there, or show up heavily armed, because according to DNA Info, crime is on the rise at Ikea. With any luck, things will calm down before the Swedish government sends a crack team of super soldat to restore order to the furniture store.

The trouble has been happening all year, according to stats that DNA Info got from the NYPD, with more crimes classified as major crimes happening at the store between January and September this year than all of last year combined. They include your standard thefts when people leave their wallets or valuables on a counter or in a shopping cart, and breaking into people’s cars.

The store also saw some major action though, with a security guard throwing down with a thief trying to steal something, and another fight when someone was arrested for assault after an argument with a cashier. All totaled up, there have been 12 major crimes at the store, so if you’re going for some of Ikea’s famous Swedish ro, you’re probably out of luck. At least you might see fight night break out though, and that’s gotta be cheaper than boxing tickets at Barclays.

2 Comments

  1. Heather B

    See I think that Ikea is very similar to Altamont, in that the store creates an atmosphere that gives people a false sense of anonymity (the mood-lit maze of merchandise that you’re forced to travel through before you get to the cashier, the heavy crowds, those model apartments tucked away dark corners…) where they think they can steal things or assault a fellow customer that can’t figure out how to walk quickly or in a straight line as if they came to Ikea with an intention. Not that I’m speaking from experience.

  2. This is what happens when you try to “revitalize” a still relatively ghetto area like red hook & aim to bring in more affluents to the neighborhood. I personally dont think ikea should be in that part of bk. Shouldve been down in the kings plaza or gateway area.

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