Police have arrested a 19 year-old youth who is believed to be involved in a series of theft cases involving taxis.

Between Nov 2009 and Jan 2010, several cases of thefts targeting taxis were reported in Tampines and Simei housing estates. In most cases, the taxis were broken into and cash were stolen. In some instances, the culprit also drove away the taxi where the spare key was left inside the vehicle. All the stolen taxis were recovered the next day.

As a preventive measure, Police proactively alerted the residents in the affected areas to this crime trend by disseminating crime alerts and crime prevention advisories. The crime alerts and advisories were also extended to the taxi companies.

Concurrently, officers from Bedok Police Division conducted extensive ground enquiries, studied the crime patterns and mounted several ambushes. Through extensive ground enquiries and follow-up investigations, the officers managed to establish the identity of the suspect. The suspect was subsequently arrested on 18 January 2010 at about 11:00 pm in the vicinity of Tampines Street 21.

The suspect will be charged in Court 26 on 20 Jan 2010 for the offence of Theft of Motor Vehicle under Section 379A of the Penal Code, Chapter 224. If convicted, he may be jailed up to 7 years and be liable to fine.

Commander of Bedok Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Teo Chun Ching, commended his officers for their perseverance and excellent investigative work which led to the arrest of the suspect. He also advised members of the public, especially taxi drivers, to adopt the following crime prevention measures:

• Park your vehicle in well-lit locations;
• Secure the windows and doors of your vehicle, even if it is left unattended for a short while;
• Install a vehicle alarm system;
• Remove all valuables and the cashcard from the IU when you leave your vehicle; and
• Do not leave the spare key inside the vehicle and keep cash out of sight so as not to attract attention.