who can resist this?....Oceans Eleven Day in Stockholm last week....

In a stellar shining example of why Hollywood should not just export it's movies to "everybody"

 this is just all kinds of charming.......

Look what happened last Wednesday in Stockholm after Sven Svensson and Lars Larsson (Sven's  sidekick) studied Oceans Eleven really well.......

and Swedish Law Enforcement who really excels at setting up surprise roadside checks everywhere and administering alcohol level breath tests,seemingly finds situations more challenging than that to be ,well, just a bit beyond their capabilities......

Here's how it happened, according to a report in the tabloid daily Aftonbladet:

5.15am - A helicopter is witnessed above the roof of the G4S cash depot in Västberga in Stockholm by staff at the National Rail Administration (Banverket) offices directly opposite.

Lars Larsson and Sven Svensson go for it, after studying the film enough times....and stealing a helicopter ( that alone didn't alert anyone----- )It's the Oceans Eleven Show - and they're OFF!!!!!

5.19am - Police receive a call about the robbery. Witnesses watch as the stolen white Bell 206 Jet Ranger helicopter lets out three or four passengers on the roof. Explosions are heard as the robbers enter the building while the helicopter hovers above the building.

Several sacks of what is presumed to be money are then seen raised into the helicopter on a rope.

Bleary eyed Swedish residents train hastily grabbed binoculars onto the roof of the buidling trying desperately to spot George Clooney and Matt Damon. They're hoping for an autograph and a few pictures.

5.25am - The first police patrol arrives at the scene in Västberga but are ordered not to act as the robbers continue to load sacks of money into the helicopter. They have been ordered to await the arrival of the National Task Force.

The policemen that arrived on the scene were basically stopping by  to study the moves of the robbers hoping to become Big Movie Stars themselves one day. Meanwhile , the National Task Force had been "gently notified" via Facebook , a few text messages and  an e-mail or two.....They'll be there ,after they shower and have had breakfast.......

5.35am - With the police looking on the helicopter lifts off from the roof of the building and heads north. The robbers had lain caltrops on the road routes out away from the building in order to hinder the police.

but, as they continued to stand there watching with their jaws wide open, it's not like it really even occurred to them to even try to get in their cars to chase them anyway.....unneccessary cover-up on the Criminals' part,really....

5.35am - The National Task Force enters the building.

my guess is that  the NTF that arrived,were the "off-duty" bunch that were found still out at the bars from the night before.....

5.49am - The police helicopter station at Myttingen on Värmdö is notified but pilots can not lift off as a suspected bomb is found in front of the helicopter hanger.

Well that got at least a few people upset inciting this comment in the OpEd section of the Dagens Nyheter the next day:

Swedish police must "be able to use the equipment that has been acquired for large amounts," the Dagens Nyheter daily wrote in an opinion piece. "Helicopters, cars, boats and other equipment must be kept in a way so that criminals cannot sabotage them."

duh.......ya think!??!

7am - The police confirm that none of the 21 G4S staff were hurt in the attack.

after conducting a breathalyzer check of all the buildings staff, it was determined that none of them had been "driven to drink" over the whole situation.......and therefore no one was hurt..... no thanks to the Police now mind you....

7.37am - Explosives are found in the building and police extend the cordon around the depot. 

Oops! Now,this was a shocking turn of events indeed. The cordon selected was a bright Swedish Blue shade and was arranged so that it looked nice for the TV crews later that day.......

8.15am - The helicopter is found in woodland near Skavlöten in Arninge north of Stockholm.

Initially they weren't sure for a while whether it was a helicoptoer or just a large dead moose, but blood tests did reveal it to be ....indeed.........a HELICOPTER......

8.42am - The police escort the G4S staff out from the cash depot.

Now being as "explosives were reported to be found in the building" at kl.7:37....... it is logical that 1 hour and 5 minutes later they decide to THEN get the staff out of the building.....right?!

1pm - police dispose of the suspected bomb at the helicopter station on Värmdö with the help of a water cannon.

Like I've stated before in previous blogs. The swedes like things to be clean. Floors and all,especially bombs that could actually be  "dirtied up" by criminal evidence. Water cannons aid enormously in cleaning up suspected bombs of any DNA, or "filth" ( aka:EVIDENCE) that might have been accidentally left by the Perps.....let's hear it for CLEAN evidence.....

3pm - Police hold a press conference where they classify the crime as an "extraordinary event" and are thus able to call on the resources of police forces from across the country.

It was obvious that short of Princess Victoria's wedding next year, that this was as close as Stockholm was going to see of Hollywood and "Extraordinary Events" for quite some time. Only natural to want to call your buddies about it.....

By 6pm in the evening the police had arrested two men in connection with the robbery as they combed the Stockholm underworld for clues to what is described as a well-organised professional heist.

And it turns out that their names were as reported above: Lars Larsson and Sven Svensson......

Criminology professor Leif G W Persson said on Wednesday that the cash depot could have housed up to a billion kronor ($146 million) in cash.

Nothing like checking the Depot 's ACTUAL records ,huh? When in doubt, best to call up a college prof to make a decent guess to report in the papers right?

Media reports on Thursday indicate that a mafia boss from the Balkans could be the brains behind the robbery. 

You thought that Lars and Sven could have thought on this all on their own?! Come on!!!!!!! But to their credit, Lars and Sven had been the ones to actually send  the DVD of Oceans Eleven to the Dude in the Balkans......AHHH!!!!! -the advantages of GLOBALIZATION!

It is also reported that Stockholm police had previously received information that a helicopter heist was being planned in the area but that the National Task Force had been conducting surveillance at the wrong depot, in Bromma in the north-west of the city.

Well,now you see, this is just the saddest bit of information of all. Now see if the Perps had ONLY tried to rob the Cash Depot that they were SUPPOSED to rob-this might have actually turned out differently.....

LESSON FOR THE SOUL: I have to say, it's a nice thing to live in a country where this kind of stuff happens so seldom, that policemen are at a loss as to how to deal with it. I can see it happening also quite easily in the UK, where the Cops would be busy waving their billy clubs in the air at the helicopter......

and at least it gives me a jolly good laugh for the day......

Swedish word for the day: överraskning- (Roy thought this one up for me)- that's: SURPRISE!!!!!!!

Time to quit trying to monitor the society by roadside checkpoints, sometimes it could all be flying right over your head!......

All I have to say- I find myself actually rooting for the robbers on this one! They deserve to keep their heist,I'm sorry!