You can never predict when something will get stolen. Recently this happened to me, with my precious laptop being taken. There I was, taking a Mobike to my friends’ place, and finally sitting on the couch for our weekly Chernobyl viewing party. I remember feeling all comfy on the couch and suddenly, to my horror, I realized I couldn’t find my laptop. I left it in the basket of the Mobike. When I went outside it was gone (I also forgot to lock it, making it difficult to track who took it after).
I called the nearest police station in Dongcheng District at midnight for help. Surprisingly they picked up the phone and asked me to go there to report it and get paper work done. I immediately cycled to the nearest police station. After some simple questions, the officer who is responsible for the security footage helped me. We were able to narrow down the footage to the specific time, in which I thought it was stolen. After a few tense minutes of carefully combing through the footage, we found the thief. Unfortunately, there was not much they could do just from seeing the person’s face. Many people mistakenly assume that China has advanced facial recognition for crimes like this, but from my personal experience, it could be used only for extreme cases.
I might not have been able to retrieve my laptop, but maybe my story could be of some help for those of you who might need some help from the police. Here are some words and phrases you might need to use when contacting police if you in a similar situation.
Report the crime at the police station
While police do not deal directly with all crimes, you still need to call the police on 110 or go to the station and report the theft immediately. Here at the station, they will accept your report and can help in many emergencies, this also significantly increases the likelihood of getting your stuff back. Probably the biggest worry in approaching police about a crime is whether they will be able to speak English, though many large cities in China have an English option on 110. But if you still have concerns about the language barrier, you may need to ask a Chinese friend for help.
Hello Sir, I would like to report a stolen item.
NǏhǎo, wǒ xiǎngyào bào yígè dàoqièàn. 你好，我想要报一个盗窃案。
My _______ was stolen.
Wǒ de ______ bèi tōu le. 我的 ______ 被偷了。
It was stolen on Monday at 11pm near Dongsishitiao.
Shì zài zhōuyī shíyī diǎn zài dōngsìshítiáo fùjìn bèi tōu de. 是在周一11点在东四十条附近被偷的。
My name is _______ .
Wǒ de míngzì shì _______ . 我的名字是 _______ 。
I’m from _______ .
Wǒ shì _______ guó rén. 我是 _______ 国人。
My passport number is _______ .
Wǒ de hùzhào hàomǎ shì _______ . 我的护照号码是 _______ 。
My phone number is _______ .
Wǒ de diànhuà hàomǎ shì _______ . 我的电话号码是 _______ 。
Ask to check the security footage
You might not be able to check the security footage with the police officer, but you can try to describe, in as much detail as possible, to help them find the person.
Could you please look at the security footage to find the person?
Qǐngwèn nǐ néng chákàn jiānkòng lùxiàng zhǎodào nàgè rén mā? 请问你能查看监控录像找到那个人吗？
It was stolen on Monday at 11pm at _______.
Shì zài zhōuyī shíyī diǎn zài _______ bèi tōu de. 是在周一11点在 _______ 被偷的。
My laptop is in a blue bag.
Wǒ de diànnǎo zhuāngzài yígè lánsè bāo lǐ. 我的电脑装在一个蓝色包里。
After the report
Don’t panic, and don’t expect the police to find it immediately. All you can do is be patient and also be prepared for the worst.
What will happen when the person is found?
Rúguǒ zhǎodào zhègèrén, nǐmén huì zěnme chùlǐ? 如果找到这个人，你们会怎么处理？
How will I be informed?
Nǐmén huì zěnme tōngzhī wǒ nē? 你们会怎么通知我呢？
When should I expect to find out?
Dàgài shénmē shíhòu néng gěi jiéguǒ? 大概什么时候能给结果？
To get more information about “Staying Out of Trouble and Knowing What to do When Things Go Wrong in Beijing”, please check here.
Photo: Pixabay.com
