Dominique Metzger claims officers asked what punishment she would prefer (Picture: Twitter)
A TV reporter says she was left baffled by a question from Qatari police after being robbed live on air while reporting from the World Cup.
Argentine journalist Dominique Metzger’s wallet and important documents were taken from her handbag on Sunday.
It happened in the lead-up to the first match in the fan zone in the Corniche area of Doha.
After reassuring her they would catch the culprit, officers allegedly asked her what punishment she’d like to be imposed on the thief.
Speaking on Instagram, Dominique, who works for television channel TN Metzger, said she noticed ‘cultural differences’ straight away at the police station.
She said: ’The policewoman said to me: “We have high-tech cameras everywhere and we are going to locate him [the thief] with face detection. What do you want the justice system to do when we find him?”’
When a confused Dominique asked what they meant, they apparently replied: ‘What justice do you want? What sentence do you want us to give him?
‘Do you want him to be sentenced to five years in prison? Do you want him to be deported?’
Dominique said she didn’t request a specific punishment, instead just asking for her belongings to be returned.
Dominique is reporting on the World Cup which has been surrounded by controversy (Picture: Twitter)
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It’s unknown if this has happened and Metro.co.uk has contacted the Ministry of Interior for comment on the claims.
Qatar has trained more than 50,000 people to provide security for an expected influx of 1.2 million visitors from across the globe.
Around 15,000 cameras with facial recognition have been placed at stadiums to minimise crime.
It comes amid huge concerns about the nation’s strict laws and criminalisation of homosexuality.
The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in Command and Control Centre for FIFA World Cup in Qatar, Niyas Abdulrahiman said $300 billion (£254 billion) has been spent on new infrastructure overall, including seven new stadiums
‘What you see here is a new standard, a new trend in venue operations, this is our contribution from Qatar to the world of sport. What you see here is the future of stadium operations’ he said.
Last week, Qatari officials were forced to apologise to a Danish journalist when security guards threatened to smash his camera as he reported live on air for the World Cup.
The Football Association is currently anticipating a fine from FIFA while Harry Kane could receive a yellow card if he wears a ‘One Love’ armband for England’s opener against Iran today.
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Argentine journalist Dominique Metzger says her wallet and important documents were taken from her handbag.