Ho Chi Minh City’s boosted anti-crime efforts turning out well

The mobile police unit has dispatched more than 1,650 officers to boost crime-fighting efforts in the southern metropolis, according to a report to sum-up the first week of the campaign.

Multiple cases of robbery, illegal weapon use, and drug trafficking have been detected by the police.

For instance, at first light on March 11, a group of mobile police officers stopped a man suspected of driving a stolen motorbike in Binh Tan District to check his papers.

The young man eventually gave in as he failed to prove it was his vehicle.

On March 10, another group of mobile police on a patrol also caught two young men as carrying 14 bags of crystal meth inside their motorbike in District 11. The men were immediately arrested whereas the drugs were transferred to local police.

The criminal police unit has also sent plain clothes officers to patrols across the city to handle crimes on time.

On March 15, a video was posted on YouTube and Facebook, showing a couple of robbers hunting for motorbike drivers along Hoang Sa Street in Tan Binh District to steal their assets.

After verifying the suspects in the video in the morning, plain clothes police caught them red-handed as they were looking for victims on streets in District 5 in the afternoon.

Nguyen Hung Cuong, 20, and his accomplice Nguyen Ngoc My Linh, 30, admitted that they used to target victims as seen in the video to have money to buy drugs.

Le Dinh Long, who runs a mobile phone store in Binh Thanh District, was also arrested as he would buy the stolen assets from these robbers.

Police said they have also busted many rings that have stolen assets of many people by making up accidents with them on the streets.

A group of vigilantes in Ho Chi Minh City, thanks to reports sent to their Facebook page, have also helped fight against may thefts and robberies, according to police.

In the year to date, the number of criminal violations in Ho Chi Minh City has dropped 15.31 percent compared to the same period last year. The number of robberies also dropped 12 percent, and burglars, down 25.06 percent.