I wasn't aware that it happened at the time until the owners downstairs knocked on my door and advised someone had stolen my motorbike!!! They claimed that they were sitting out the front of the building when someone from the laneway that runs to the house came zooming out on my motor. My motor is unique in Phnom Penh (unique=crap) and they couldn't help but notice that I wasn't the one riding it. Before they could stop him, he had taken off down the road. Luckily there were 2 of Cambodia's finest law enforcement officers near by and my neighbours quickly notified them to make chase.
Police sketch of my moto
By the time I had risen from my slumber and wandered downstairs to see what had happened the police had already returned and advised me to come with them to the local cop shop as they had arrested the culprit and wanted me to make a statement. I was taken by the cops to the police station and was shown my bike as to identify it. It had been damaged as the cops had chased the thief and had forced him to crash to stop.
Next I went to meet the thief. As I sat in the booking room, a young, scrawny young Cambodian man who looked like he knew the way around a syringe was placed next to me in cuffs. He looked very worried and had a few cuts that could have been from the bike crash or the cops beating him. We sat together for about 30 minutes (his conversational English wasn't as good as his breaking and entering skills). A policeman asked me a few questions about the bike and asked if anything else was taken. I made my statement (though I saw nothing) and witnessed the master criminal mind been taken away to his cell for the night (or ever, depending how much I was prepared to pay the cops).
The cops returned me home as my bike had to remain at the police station overnight, plus it wasn't going anywhere with it's front wheel bent 90 degrees to the frame. Upon returning home the 2 cops who actually caught the guy were waiting. It was explained to me by the owner of my house the cops returned to see how grateful I was for getting my bike back. I said I was $20 worth grateful, the cops preferred that I was $40 worth grateful. We agreed on a compromise of paying $30 of gratitude.
Cambodian police in action
Having got back to my apartment I looked around the flat because I hadn't really checked before I left if anything else had been taken. Saw that my mobile, camera, laptop and pretty much all stealable things were still there. Thinking that the bike was the only thing stolen, over the next few hours I slowly discovered that:
1. my size 9 black boots were gone - what use these were to a nation of sandel wearing midgets??
2. 2 boxes of Savory Shapes that my niece had especially bought from Australia for me.
The thief had taken these and they must have been lost in the police chase.
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