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May 8, 2003updated 17 May 2007 11:30am

Pickpockets make front-page news thanks to Jones

By Press Gazette

A street thief was arrested by police after photographer Keith Jones from the Cambridge Evening News took pictures of her committing a crime.

Jones saw two girls trailing a pensioner in the street while he was waiting in the city centre at another job. The News had splashed that very day on a spate of pickpockets targeting city shoppers.

He said: “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. When I realised what was happening I started taking pictures.

I was shocked, especially as they were girls and they were doing this in broad daylight.”

After making sure he got a good photographs of the pair for the police, Jones entered the shop to find the victim, coincidentally the mother of Press Gazette journalist Mary Stevens.

She later contacted the police to report that her purse, containing credit cards and £80 cash, had been taken from her bag.

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On Friday, a security guard at HMV spotted one of the girls outside his store. The girl, who told police she was 12, was one of four children arrested over two days. They were believed to be Eastern Europeans.

Readers were quick to praise Jones. Letters and postings on the News website described him as a credit to the paper and the community.

Editor Colin Grant said: “It is a testament to Keith that he was able to get such good pictures and tried to find the victim of the crime. Street crime and pickpocketing has been a real problem for our city.”

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

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