Some Guangzhou youths have formed a team to help solve a rampant pickpocketing problem, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported Tuesday.

A netizen identifying himself as Sunshine established a QQ (an instant messenger device) group on the Internet calling for volunteers to join him in the fight against pickpockets July 21.

Sunshine said he had been robbed in Guangzhou several times and decided to do something to fight thefts.

He got many responses from other youths, most of whom had also been victims of pickpockets. Most of the volunteers are college students and graduates between 20 and 35.

They chatted on the Internet to exchange ways of fighting pickpockets and organized three group actions.

Saturday was the first time their action resulted in the arrest of two thieves. A Daily reporter was invited to witness the action.

Fifteen volunteers gathered at the Haizhu Square at 8:40 PM. They thought this was a place where pickpockets were rampant after initial investigations.

Their plan was to send two female volunteers and two males disguised as lovers sitting on the square, with their bags carelessly left aside to lure pickpockets. Other volunteers scattered around to keep guard. They said they were not afraid of thieves who could use violence as one member was a taekwondo practitioner.

Several minutes later, a man in a white T-shirt walked slowly towards one of the bags and dragged it away stealthily before tossing it to another man in a purple T-shirt several meters away.

The volunteers soon sent signals to each other and jumped to stop the two suspects, shouting: "Stop the thieves."

Some other passers-by also joined them.

"Take care, they have knives," the volunteers warned each other.

While many were chasing the suspect in white, Sunshine followed the other suspect alone. Both suspects were subdued several minutes later, but Sunshine was slightly injured while fighting the suspect in purple.

Some passers-by got excited after seeing the scene and rushed forward to beat the two suspects. The volunteers called police while trying to stop excited passers-by from beating the two. Police arrived soon and took away the two suspects.

However, their action aroused controversy among the public. Some people questioned whether it was legal for citizens to take matters to their own hands. "What if volunteers or pickpocket suspects were injured or even died during the non-official actions?"

Pan Deng, a legal expert, thought the government should do something to better organize the volunteers.

(Shenzhen Daily August 31, 2005)