The new crime-buster app launched by police in Beijing's Chaoyang District
(ECNS) -- Police in Beijing's Chaoyang District have launched a new app to facilitate public reporting of suspicious activities, garnering wide attention online for naming it after the famous crime-busters "Chaoyang qunzhong."
Chaoyang police said on Weibo that the app aims to strengthen the relationship between police and residents and help Chaoyang qunzhong better play a role in fighting crime.
The app is in the testing stage and expected to help improve safety and promote development, according to the police statement.
The app was launched on August 20 last year and has been updated four times. It has five parts – key cases, missing persons, lost and found, suspects and vehicles. But only two of the programs – key cases and missing persons – are currently active.
Users can register with the app for free and then tip off police with texts or pictures. A click of the eye-catching red reporting button leads to six options, including child abduction and missing aged persons.
In a number of high-profile prostitution and drug cases involving celebrities, Beijing police often said they received tip-offs from Chaoyang qunzhong (the Chaoyang masses, a nickname for volunteers and citizens of the district who are the eyes and ears of the authorities). Some even regard Chaoyang qunzhong as an "intelligence agency," similar to the CIA.
According to media reports, they are mainly volunteers or residents who help in a variety of ways, such as watching for unfamiliar faces or suspicious activities in a community.
