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Society

WeChat comes handy for Metro police

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2016-01-11 08:58Shanghai Daily Editor: Huang Mingrui

A Commuter spots a pickpocket on a subway. He immediately grabs his phone, takes a picture and tips off the Metro police on its WeChat account "sh_metropolice". An officer boards the train at the next station and apprehends the thief.

The WeChat instant messaging app has served Metro police well. Everyday they receive about 45 tip-offs on China's most popular messaging tool. The Metro police set up the public service account on January 1, 2015, to encourage commuters to tip them off about dangers and irritants, while also ensuring a safer ride on the network.

Since its launch, Metro police has attracted more than 67,000 followers and received 16,748 reports — 43 percent of them confirmed as violations.

"I think it is more effective and safer for people passing on information here," said Hou Zhenqing, 16, a frequent commuter on Line 3.

Hou reported a case of begging on the subway recently on Zhongshan Park Station last month. Hou told Shanghai Daily that police replied to him and officers escorted the beggar out at the next station.

"More than 90 percent of the reports are about begging or people distributing fliers," Yao Wei, the officer responsible for WeChat platform, told Shanghai Daily. He said there are no regulations yet to detain them.

Yao said the online platform was meant more for serious offenses concerning safety like smoking in the carriages, or about thefts and other crimes.

To report a case, commuters have to hook up to "sh_metropolice" on WeChat and click on: "I want to report" on the interface. It throws up three categories — public order, safety issues and crimes. Commuters are asked to mention the Metro line and carriage numbers, the coming station, the route, the number of people involved and some description of the violation.

The platform operator usually replies within 5 to 10 seconds.

Yao said compared to telephone complaints, WeChat proved to be more effective and better in collecting evidences.

"A phone call can alert the violator or the suspect. That can pose a risk to the person who is making the complaint," Yao said, adding that a WeChat report eliminates all such fears, while also proving effective.

Hou confirmed such fears about commuters.

"My friend once stopped a thief on a subway, but he was good at karate," Hou said. "But ordinary people might not be able to act as he did to stop a crime. For me, WeChat is a much safer way to alert the police."

Crucial evidence

Yao added that the instruction of the tip-off formats saves time. And the operator informs the officer on duty at the next station immediately.

As a multimedia application, informers can send pictures to the Metro police that also serves as crucial evidence.

In May last year, the Metro police received a report about a male traveler exposing his private parts on a trip. An informer had taken a picture.

"With that evidence we launched an investigation," Yao said. The police studied the surveillance footage and figured out his regular routes. He was caught a few days later.

Metro police also found that WeChat served well while interacting with youngsters, surpassing that of its account on Weibo, a Chinese microblogging website, which has less than 30,000 followers compared to WeChat's 67,000.

However, the social nature of WeChat can also pose problems of a different kind. "Some passengers tend to upload the violations on their WeChat and Weibo accounts, thereby alerting the suspect," Yao said.

He urged commuters to report to the police first, and only share pictures of the incident online after the case is closed.

Yao admitted that there was a surge in complaints since the launch of the WeChat account and increasing the workload of the Metro police. "There are still things that need to be improved. We hope passengers are more understandable," Yao said.

He said WeChat was mainly for tip-offs. If the informer was also a victim, he or she should file a complaint separately for action to be taken in the regard.

 

  

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