Monday, 14 September 2009

Police advise vendors on crime prevention

The Phnom Penh Post
Monday, 14 September 2009 15:02 Chrann Chamroeun

In a bid to reduce the number of gold merchants being robbed, authorities have met with vendors to discuss heightened safety measures.

Police suggested three strategies during a meeting in Daun Penh district hall last week: an alarm button under the counter, thicker glass for display cases and better communication among vendors and police.

Touch Naruth, police chief of Phnom Phen, said gold vendors should be especially vigilant at midday because it is during lunchtime that police are not stationed at their posts, allowing criminals to operate more freely.

Many would-be robbers also track the daily movements of vendors to identify the best time to strike, he warned. "We have deployed hundreds of police officials to be stationed at markets as watchdogs to crack down on thieves to ensure safety and security," he said.

Touch Naruth confirmed that 15 suspects were arrested last week in connnection with recent robberies in the capital.

According to local newspaper reports, five were related to the robbery of a Korean man, three were related to an attempted robbery in Dangkor district, three were linked to a gold robbery in Prek Leap commune and four were arrested in connection with the recent theft of a motorcycle at gunpoint.

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