Police net teenage bike thieves

PHUKET TOWN: In a series of raids on Tuesday night and Wednesday, police arrested five teenagers involved in motorcycle thefts. The first two arrests were the result of police undercover investigation of young people with criminal records after a recent spate of motorcycle thefts in Phuket Town. Officers first staked out the homes of two boys, one 13 and the other 12, who police knew to be regular truants. Officers moved in and arrested the boys when they saw them near Super Cheap, on Thepkrasattri Rd, riding a motorbike that had been reported stolen on April 10. The boys were taken for questioning at Phuket Town Police Station, where they told police that three other boys – one aged 14 and two aged 17 – were involved. They also told police where the others lived. During raids on the three boys’ homes, officers seized two stolen motorbikes and learned of two other gang members, whom police have yet to locate. Pol Col Paween Pongsirin, Superintendent of Phuket Town Police Station, yesterday told the Gazette that four of the five boys had been arrested before. Of the 17-year-old boys, one was charged with theft in November, and the other was charged with assault in July. In addition, the 14-year-old was charged with theft in December, and the 13-year-old was caught sniffing paint thinners earlier this year. All five youths were taken to the Juvenile Observation and Protection Center. The three youngest offenders were released on Wednesday after each child’s parents posted 10,000 baht bail. The two older teenagers will remain in custody until either bail is posted or their case is heard by the Juvenile and Family Affairs Court.