There Goes the Neighborhood Revisited

Our neighbor's house was burglarized this afternoon- in the middle of the afternoon. It is disturbing on a number of fronts. We know the couple that lives there-- actually met them before they moved in and it was something of a coincidence that we became neighbors. It is a long story that sounds more complicated than it really is, but he is the brother of one of her friends who was a Norwegian living in the US. He works off-shore, so he is away for a few weeks at a time. They have a three month old girl.

Lise left the house with another neighbor across the street to walk down to Kvadrat (a mall having the dubious distinction of being Norway's largest). About the same time, our other neighbor left for a few hours. When she returned, her door was locked from the inside, which was odd. She then noticed silverware boxes open on the floor. She came over to our house at that point and called the police. When I came home, Lise had her hands full watching the two babies, and our neighbor was home with the police.

We later found out that the neighbor next door saw the burglar. She was a mid-20s female who was on foot and carrying a bag. She waited a long time at the front door, then went around to the side of the house. The witness didn't do anything, thinking she was a friend. She felt horrible when she found out what happened. Apparently she entered through a partially opened window in the back.

While the woman was on foot, and unable to take much, what she took completely mean-spirited. Their daughter was recently baptized, and several engraved silver gifts were taken-- as was the video recorder containing the tape of the first few months of their daughter's life. A laptop and other items were stolen. It has given me a new perspective on how our digital videos and photos are stored.

We live in a nice neighborhood on a dead-end street where cars are not even allowed to drive. Everyone here knows each other. It was just bad luck-- random, that she was burgled. (Sorry to be such a stickler here, but a detective friend pointed out that to be robbed would mean that the owner was home. )

On one hand, I appreciate that this wasn't some creepy guy who poses a threat to the physical safety of the people living around here. The police seem to think it is some drug addict. It takes a desperate person to do this in the middle of the day. All the belongings were easy to carry. She was on foot. But it truly stinks that the items she took hold so much more than their mere monetary value.

The other issue that makes this particularly disgusting is how unnecessary it is. Addicts are practically coddled in Norway. The corrections system is so liberal here that she could probably end up on some payroll to NOT commit any crimes-- and belong to a union-- and receive a lifetime supply of free drugs.