City rail police authorities have honored 40 residents who fought thieves or helped officers catch pickpockets during an intensive anti-crime campaign started in June.

Police did not reveal how many pickpockets were seized, but said they halted more than 70 theft rings. The residents were awarded a specially designed souvenir public transport card with an undisclosed amount of credit.

Police officials have highlighted some of the cases of bravery. On June 6, two taxi company employees, identified as Cao and Wang, noticed several young men trying to steal a passenger's gold necklace on a No. 159 bus.

Cao and Wang fought with the men and managed to subdue one of them and recover the victim's jewelry, which had been cut from her neck.

On July 13 a resident surnamed Xu provided investigators with a detailed description of the suspects and their method of escape after a theft in a Pudong hotel. Thanks to the tip-off, police caught up with six members of a criminal gang that evening.