Confiscating their fancy trainers could be a way to make it clear to robbers that crime does not pay, Amsterdam’s mayor Job Cohen says in an interview in Thursday’s Telegraaf.

Cohen is concerned about the rise in robberies in the Dutch capital last year. ‘It is clear we need to find new methods to change the trend,’ he told the paper. ‘Confiscating their fine shoes might sound daft, but it could be an effective measure.’
It must be made clear to robbers that they will lose everything which they have not obtained by honest means, the mayor said. ‘And if they have nothing expensive to take, then what about the Nike training shoes they parade around in. We have to do everything we can to limit the number of robberies. If you are a victim of such a crime, it has a gigantic effect on you.’