Vietnamese police offer cash for reporting crimes By News from Elsewhere...

...as found by BBC Monitoring Published duration 20 May 2016

image copyright Getty Images image caption Police hope cash rewards will help tackle crime in Ho Chi Minh City's busy streets

A police department in Vietnam is offering cash for tip-offs that lead to crimes being solved or criminals apprehended.

Officials in District 12 of Ho Chi Minh City - the country's largest city - say they want to make local residents more engaged in "fighting crime and securing the community", the Tuoi Tre News website reports.

For example, rewards of up to 5m Vietnamese dong (£154; $224 dollars) are being offered to people reporting crimes related to prostitution, which is banned but still widespread in Vietnam.

Similar amounts of money are on offer for tip-offs about mugging and robbery, as well as "propaganda threatening national security".

Supplying essential information about economic crimes, pollution and the use of banned chemicals in farming and food production can earn you up to 3m dong.

According to the US-based Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), the most widespread types of crime in Ho Chi Minh City are pickpocketing, snatch-and-grabs and petty theft, which present an increasing problem.

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