Police in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday afternoon arrested a young street criminal and recovered an iPhone 5 he had snatched from a British woman earlier the same day.>> Ho Chi Minh City police stop giving safety leaflets to foreigners over public responses >> HCMC police issue leaflets giving foreigners safety tips>> Police arrest thieves in ‘backpacker area’ in Ho Chi Minh City >> 2 lady boys arrested for robbing foreigner in Vietnam’s backpacker area

Police in Pham Ngu Lao Ward, District 1 on Saturday morning said they have handed over to the district’s investigation police agency Nguyen Van Loc, 24, who was detained for stealing a cellphone from 22-year-old Lauren Robsom, of British nationality, on October 31. Loc will be charged with “property robbery by snatching,” pursuant to Article 136 of the Penal Code. According to the case file, at about 2:00 pm on Friday, Loc, after driving along a number of streets on a motorbike looking for ‘prey,’ reached 23/9 Park in the ward and saw Robsom sitting on a sidewalk talking on the phone. Loc approached her and snatched the phone from the woman's hand. He then sped away while Robsom loudly shouted for help. After hearing her shouts, Pham Trong Nghia, 25, and Nguyen Tan Tai, 26, two passers-by on a motorbike, immediately chased after Loc.    Eventually the pair caught up with Loc, and with the help of some locals, seized him. Loc was handed over to local police and confessed to the crime. Police recovered the cellphone and returned it to the British woman. Many similar cases have recently occurred in the city and District 1 police on October 23 issued leaflets on safety tips to foreign visitors, especially those staying in the ‘backpacker area’ in the said ward. The leaflets provide advice to foreign visitors on six things they should do to protect themselves from snatches, fraud, and other problems during their stay in the city. These leaflets were handed out to foreign visitors and also to many hotels and restaurants in Pham Ngu Lao Ward. According to Lieutenant Colonel Phuoc, most foreigners who received the leaflets were very happy and showed appreciation for the effort by police to ensure safety for foreign travelers. However, Phuoc said on Wednesday that the leaflet distribution had been halted following differing responses from the public, VnExpress newswire reported. Many have expressed their approval of this move by police officers, while others say it would demean the police force and create a culture of fear among foreign visitors. Regarding this issue, Pham Thanh Kien, chairman of the District 1 People's Committee, said that the leaflet distribution was aimed at encouraging foreign visitors and local residents to enhance their vigilance against crime, which is on the rise in the area. In order to ensure safety for foreign visitors, the issuance of warnings to foreigners will be resumed in the future, but such warnings will be presented more suitably in both form and content, Kien said. The new warnings will be given to foreigners through hotels, travel firms, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, and other agencies, he added.

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