Thirty-four people arrested for theft in Tai Po in two week operation

The police announced Friday that they had arrested 34 people during an operation that lasted from August 28 to September 14, involving losses of over HK$600,000.

The Tai Po police district stated that from January to August of this year, multiple thefts occurred in Tai Po, with people either stealing from stores or not returning items such as octopus cards and credit cards once they found them.

The police conducted an operation to combat theft within the district and arrested 21 men and 13 women on suspicion of theft after doing in-depth investigations and combing through surveillance footage.

The people arrested ranged in age from 15 to 84 and claimed to be unemployed, retired, students, security guards, etc.

The 34 people arrested were connected to 33 cases of theft that involved the theft of canned fish, lunch meat, red wine, etc.

It is understood that the majority of the arrested people were local residents, with one being an 85-year-old woman who mainly stole daily necessities from supermarkets.

Another case involved a perpetrator and a victim who knew each other, with the perpetrator stealing the victim's wallet and using the bank card to transfer money to herself.

The police spokesman stated that most of those arrested were stealing from shops out of greed or taking advantage of others after seeing other people leave property carelessly.

The police urged the public, especially young people, not to steal out of greed, as it is a serious crime.

Stating that under Hong Kong laws, the maximum penalty upon conviction is 10 years' imprisonment.

+1