A Dutch couple who had their mobile phone stolen while on holiday in London have thanked a Merton Safer Neighbourhoods Team (SNT) for reuniting them with their phone.

On November 10, PS Jeff New and PC Sarah Meade of Dundonald SNT responded to a call from staff at Elys department store in Wimbledon, about a possible shoplifter they had detained.

The officers attended the store and searched the man who was found to be in possession of a new HTC phone.

The man claimed he had bought the phone from a shop in Lithuania some three weeks previously, but when the IMEI number was checked at the scene, it was found to have been recently reported stolen from a location in central London.

PS New made extensive enquiries about the seized phone and discovered it belonged to Mr and Mrs Peters, who had been visiting London on holiday when the theft occurred.

He contacted the couple, who had since returned home to the Netherlands, and offered to arrange its safer return to them courtesy of Merton police.

In an email to the police, Mrs Peters said: "You're saying that you found our HTC phone? That's great! I really would like to get it back, a very big thank you for the London police!"

PS New said: "Thanks to the original investigating officer in Westminster properly recording the victim's IMEI number, we were able to directly trace the rightful owners and ensure the safe return of their phone and SIM card."