A man has been arrested in connection with a recent spate of a least a dozen handbag thefts and is expected to appear in court soon.

A bag grabbing spree began this summer on June 7 when Elaine Crook was targeted in Southampton.

Seven handbags were stolen from visitors in three days. The victims included a Massachusetts couple who were riding their livery cycle west on Harbour Road, Warwick, when a man claiming to be a Police officer demanded they pull over.

Another theft involved an American visitor who had her handbag stolen while playing golf.

Police said that at 5.45 p.m. on Saturday, July 3 the woman was on the golf course when she noticed two men close by watching her friends play.

The visitor was in a golf cart when one of the men ran up to her, grabbed her bag, ran back to his friend who was sitting on a motorcycle and rode off. The visitor's friend saw what happened and got into the golf cart with her. They followed the thieves but lost them.

Later, when they told a staff member at the golf course about the robbery, he spotted the thieves riding a bike along the greens.

He tried to catch them on his motorbike, but they escaped.

Police said the visitor's handbag contained a Canon camera, $150 of US currency and other personal items.