Police have arrested four youths aged between 12 and 16 years old who are believed to be responsible for four cases of theft of lorries in the Ang Mo Kio area.

In the last week of August 2010, there were four successive reports of lorries being stolen in the vicinity of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10, of which three were recovered nearby. Following the reports, officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division conducted extensive investigative probes and studied the crime patterns to establish all possible leads.

The breakthrough came on 31 August 2010 at about 4.50 pm when officers who were conducting surveillance in the vicinity of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 spotted four youths looking into a parked lorry in the area. The officers decided to conduct a check on them and subsequently placed them under arrest after an interview. One cashcard belonging to the owner of one of the stolen lorries was recovered from one of the suspects. The suspects also subsequently led the officers to recover the fourth lorry at Cowdray Avenue. Investigations are still on-going.

First time offenders found guilty of Theft of Motor Vehicle under Section 379A of the Penal Code, Chapter 224 may be imprisoned for a term which may extend to seven years, and a fine.

Commander of Ang Mo Kio Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Hsu Sin Yun, commended his officers for their excellent investigative work leading to the arrests of the suspects. He would like to advise all owners of motor vehicles on the following crime prevention measures:

-	Park your motor vehicles in well-lit areas;
-	Remove the ignition key and lock the motor vehicle whenever it is left unattended, even if it is only for a short while; and
-	Install an anti-theft alarm.