Denmark - the danger capital of the world

To most people Denmark doesn't excactly bring the word "Danger" to mind. But you guys listen up closely to this story.

It all begins this morning. A beautiful sunny morning in late August. There have been thunderstorms all night, and the air seems fresh and cleansed by the lightnings. I was on my father's black bike riding up the long and steep hill that is my way to school.

I get to the top of the hill. I'm sweaty but triumphant due to the fact that I have just conquered a climb the size of Mount Ventoux. The last bit of way to the school goes through a viaduct. However, the police has cordoned it off with tape. A policeofficer is standing on a quiet surburban street. He waves and signals that I should drive a detour around the closed area to get to my school.

As the good citizen I am, I follow the police man's instructions. When I get to my second alternative way to school, the police has closed that street as well. I ask one of the officers what happened and he says: "There has been a robbery and everything..."

At this point I think it's just some investigation going on, maybe the aftermath of something that happened during the night.

I haven't heard anything about the robbery that took place just 30 minutes before. 3 lithuanian mobsters have robbed a bank just 1 kilometer from where I'm now on my bike. They have fired about twenty shots at two police officers but "luckily" only a police dog is shot dead.

Rather annoyed I turn around again to try my third alternative route. However, I discover a short cut. I lift my bike down some stairs and cross a huge parking area. Without knowing it I drive directly into the area where the police has cornered the Lithuanian robbers.

I'm on my bike crossing the parking area just next to a skating rink, when I see another officer standing behind a car. I keep on riding towards him. But on a split second I realize what's going on:

The police officer holds his gun and stands behind the car using it as a shield. I block my breaks and look at the officer. He sees me and waves like "get out of the way, get behind me". Chocked over the situation I've landed in the middle of I ride as fast as Í can pass the officer. Another officer is standing further up the parking lot also with his gun and shielded by a car.

My journalist side of the brain says, hey pull over, take cover and see what happens. But my survival side says "get the f**k out of here." At this point I still don't know what is going on; I think first thing that came to mind was some hostage situation. Later I find out that the police were about to arrest one of the robbers, and didn't know whether he was going to fire more shots or not.

Anyways, I ride up the street and see tv-camera's and a billion journalist students trying to get a piece of the action (remember I'm in the school of journalism, and it all happened just next to it).

All students are told to go inside shortly after I get there. And the next hour we follow the updates in the Danish web media about how all three gangsters were cornered in the areas around the school. And were arrested without further shots fired.

pheew.

"peace" and love fro DK