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Mechanic who turns the screw on criminals

2014-10-20 09:11 Shanghai Daily Web Editor: Qian Ruisha
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Shen Guangliang

Shen Guangliang

Shen Guangliang, a migrant worker from Jiangsu Province, repairs motorcycles for a living. But he has also shown himself to be a dab hand at catching thieves.

It all began 12 years ago, not long after his arrival in Shanghai, when the 36-year-old Shen heard shouting outside the garage where he worked on Changle Road. He went to see what the commotion was all about and spotted a local plainclothes police officer he knew chasing a man down the street. Passers-by did nothing to help, so Shen and his boss Xiang Quanxiong joined the chase and nabbed the fleeing man several blocks away. He turned out to be a pickpocket who had stolen a wallet.

Shen's minute of fame might have ended there, but his crime-stopping crusade was just beginning. In the last decade, he has been involved in catching some 80 thieves.

"I've become so familiar to local police that they have given me their personal telephone numbers," he said.

In appreciation of his efforts, the city honored Shen with an award as Shanghai Justice and Courageous Hero this year, and he was nominated as one of Shanghai's Top 10 Peace Heroes.

Unfortunately, many of the thieves he has caught were customers.

Like the man who appeared at his garage one night in May and asked Shen to fix a broken lock. As he checked the device, he noticed that it had pry marks.

"It's very common for thieves to change the locks of mopeds before selling them on because vehicles with broken locks arouse the suspicion of buyers," he said.

Shen said he was careful not to reveal his suspicions to the customer. He told the man that he couldn't fix it and didn't have a suitable lock in stock but would get one delivered. He then phoned former boss Xiang and asked him to send the lock.

"It was a secret code between us," Shen said. "As soon as I said those words, he knew to call police."

The suspect waited about 10 minutes and then became uneasy. He finally jumped on the moped and took off. Shen gave chase, keeping a safe distance behind. Within several minutes, police arrived, stopped the man and found in his bag pliers used to jimmy locks.

Shen reckons he has developed something of an eye for criminal elements.

"Law-abiding people look straight ahead, but criminal eyes keep darting left and right all the time, looking for targets," said Shen. "Their facial expressions are more anxious and fearful than those of ordinary people."

It may seem a bit of far-fetched generalization, but Shen's instincts seem to work, at least some of the time.

"Criminals feel guilty deep in their hearts and are afraid of being confronted," he said. "I can overwhelm them if I maintain an unswerving and fearless attitude. I usually call police, however, because that is safer."

Flew into action

Playing it safe is important. Earlier this year, when chatting with neighbors, Shen saw a man stop his bicycle at a traffic light and jump off. The man brushed by a moped and quickly jimmied open a small metal case on the back without alerting its rider. There apparently was nothing worth stealing because the incident passed without anything taken.

His curiosity piqued, Shen followed the man on his own bicycle and saw him repeat his action on another moped. This time the thief extracted a bag. Shen flew into action, wrestling the man to the ground. Police eventually arrived to take the man away. Shen suffered minor wrist injuries.

His penchant for playing amateur policeman has family and friends worried about his safety.

"I know he is doing the right thing, said his wife surnamed Ma. "But he is a son, a husband and a father. He shouldn't be putting himself at risk."

"I know they worry about me," Shen admitted. "But I cannot just stand by and do nothing when I see crimes being committed. It's not as dangerous as people think. Though some thieves have threatened to take revenge on me, I've never been attacked."

Still, Shen does arm himself with pepper spray for self-defense. His heroics have won the admiration of neighboring residents and shopkeepers, who watch over his garage when he takes off after suspects.

"Petty theft undermines a local community," he said.

"What's worse is nobody stepping forward to defend their neighbors," Shen said.

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