Bag snatchers at work in Hobart
HELEN KEMPTON
September 16, 2008 12:00am
DESPERADOES in Hobart are snatching handbags and police have warned shoppers to be vigilant.
The latest incident happened at the Mid City Hotel in Bathurst St yesterday.
A female hotel patron had her bag stolen just after 12.30pm. The offender ran off into the city.
Shoppers reported seeing a man running near Chickenfeed, in Collins St, clutching a woman's handbag about the same time.
Hobart CIB sergeant Luke Manhood said police responded to two bag-snatching incidents last week -- one in Macquarie St, the other in the Elizabeth Mall.
"Bag snatchers are not running rampant but it is not an uncommon crime," Sgt Manhood said.
"To have two in one week was unusual but it is not uncommon to respond to at least one bag snatch per week.
"Offenders are usually desperate people. The crimes are generally committed on the spur of the moment and most bag-snatchers are after cash."
Most offenders are male.
Other, more calculating thieves are targeting the bags and purses stored by employees in city retail businesses.
"A lot of handbags, wallets and purses are stolen from desks and under counters in business places," Sgt Manhood said.
"These thieves take a bit more time and are after both cash and credit cards."
The handbag snatching spate is in line with a warning from Tasmania Police last week about a high incidence of credit card fraud in the state.
Police said thieves were clocking up shopping sprees worth tens of thousands of dollars using stolen credit cards.
Article from:  |
微信扫一扫
提升卡
置顶卡
变色卡
抢沙发
