When police provide witness protection, it’s usually protection for, not protection from, witnesses.

But for two criminally minded youths – aged 20 and 18 – it was their arresting officers who put a stop to some rough justice on Wednesday, after an attempted bag snatching went awry.

Attempting to flee the scene by moto in the capital’s Russey Keo district, the pair were apprehended and pummelled by locals.

The authorities’ arrival stopped the beating to take the pair into custody.

Rasmei Kampuchea