Pick pocketed in China

[quanxie]

With over three years here, last night was the first time someone tried to pick my pocket... It was a young boy with long nosed tweezers that were inserted into my pocket, as the shop keeper willing kept me distracted trying to sell me an over-priced ice pop... I turned quickly and grabbed his arms and held him tightly as I inspected for a weapon of any nature and of course he had none...

Using a weapon here is almost unheard of, there are thiefs everywhere, but unlike my home of Long Beach CA, USA, where a gun is the standard tool of a thief, most Chinese thiefs are harmless punks looking to get something for nothing... They will run away even with a simple glance or shout, not like my previous country of residence, where you will most likely be hospitalized after grabbing his arms for any reason...

take care and watch yourself, life is a deadly process..

[gogo]

So in the end what happened? Did you take his tweasers and give him a jab up the bum?

Does it help reporting such matters to the local police, or do they just turn a blind eye?

[worldtour]

I'm never quite sure what it is exactly that the police do here. You're suppose to check in if you move, or atleast that is the way it was when I first came to China.

Here the police have stations in every neighborhood and you see them out and about in their cars, driving just as badly as anyone else, but they seem to be going about their daily chores like everyone else. Like it's just a car that they use. There is no traffic enforcement. You sometimes see an officer in the middle of an intersection standing, and rarely do you see him giving any kind of ticket but it does happen.

Let's just say there is selective enforcement when it comes to criminal activity.

worldtour

[quanxie]

In the end, I simply let him go on his way... I am now past the stage of my life where I feel compelled to be the judge and jury, i.e. Pound his brains out...

Yes, I also agree the police here serve themselves more than the community they are supposed to be serving... But they are much better than the thugs dressed in police uniform back home who will in a moments notice put you on the ground and pummel you if you fail to please his/her EGO or have the wrong profile...

Just after arriving almost 4 years ago I had a run-in with a policeman in a small village... I was walking down the only street in the village and was startled by a policeman shouting from the window of his car, guolai, guolai... Not yet understanding the passive nature of the police here, I did as all in the US must, turned to face him and looked down at the ground and said yes sir... He kept saying guolai, guolai... Not understanding this at the time, I looked at his body language of please get in the car... So I complied as all good fearful citizen of the US should... And to my surprise, he took me to his house to have a free dinner with friends and family... I was the first foreigner in the village so, it was his honor to have me as his guest...

So maybe there are a lot lazy self serving types here.. but compared to the US I will take passive vs. aggressive anyday...

[Hypiereon]

I have to say I'd agree with the above post about passive vs. aggressive - at least in this country (China). However, I think you have to take into account that the people the police deal with here are also just as passive - even a little timid - when confronted boldy by law enforcement, which rarely happens (speaking from personal experience since 2000).

Not so back in the USA. Police vs. Criminals is an outright war fought in neighborhoods - and every major city has its own little fiefdom of bandits who are agressive AND usually well-armed - thus, necessity means aggressive police are bred by the people they encounter. Freedom in this sense has bred a people who all feel entitled to some respect, and that we are more inclined to fight each other for it is where the cultural differences really kick in. That's what makes Americans so downright hard to get along with in any sense - war, love, international relations, and fence lines between properties.

Back to the police, I just hate it when the wrong profile, being in "the wrong place" at any time, or an ego trip kicks in and they have to start demanding more respect than the POTUS (that's President of the United States to anyone who didn't get it). They can be downright MEAN - and even if they have had a tough life as a cop I could care less when it's my face against the hood of a car because I didn't say "sir" just right and he gets all suspicious because I feel a little intimidated and he thinks I've got something to hide.

As well, I've seen my share of aggressive policemen in China actually, but it is SO rare that even when it happens it's more of a "matter of fact" ritual of enforcement - even if it is selective - rather than the RESPECT ME / EGO TRIP of the boys in blue back home.

In all fairness, not every city is the same, and even within departments police are not the same, but as an overall, general and wide ranging stereotype - give me the Chinese police any day.

NOW - That said, please continue to read . . . .

On a side note - there is also the strict policy of censorship that keeps stories such as riots and other public dissention out of the public eye in China. The perception is one of a passive country - but this may not be so. I once read that there were over 4,000 riots last year alone - that's more than ten a day!!! Most were about farmers upset with questionable land seizures by local government officials who seemed more interested in lining their own pockets. It is a huge problem that goes unreported, and lots of Chinese people have been thrown in jail, been beaten up, and even killed by the police. Even one of these such events would make national news in America and be blown up so big that you'd think social chaos was everywhere. Could you imagine what the US press would do with - on average - more than 10 riots a day?!?!?!

So, in all fairness - we can only go by what we see, but we should be aware that there is a flip side to it all. We see what we see because we are foreigners, and we are definitely treated differently. (How many Chinese people get pulled into a police car to be taken to dinner - hmmm??) To that end, I guess the real conclusion is that life in China is great as a foreigner - and I think I'd hate to try and hack it as a Chinese farmer.

[quanxie]

Well said Hypiereon,

My side of the coin is currently seen from a the small relaxed tourist town of Guangxi, Yangshuo... My “hometown” is also the home of "snoop dogg" and I have lived as a cracker in “the hood” of Long Beach, where there are several streets the Police dare not go.. I have also experienced less passive Police here, when I lived in Jiangxi, Nanchang, people would physically push the Police and there the Police were deservedly more aggressive.... So, that is why I call Yangshuo my permanent Chinese home... And I will never have to live the life as a the Chinese do, although I try to understand this life, I have the white face and a exit stage left card....

I hope all of you thinking of coming to China choose the right place to live and work...

[m_spins@yahoo.com]

take care always dude...

[duprie]

Originally Posted by Hypiereon

I once read that there were over 4,000 riots last year alone - that's more than ten a day!!!

I've read from various sources, inc. the International Herald Tribune that it's more like over 50,000 riots per year. The truth is the cops in China have no problems shooting people if they are so ordered. And a gulag of concentration camps in the Central North & North West tells an entirely different story about Chinese law enforcement.

Most Chinese police are very deferential to foreigners - for whatever reason. But when I called in the SH police over a criminal matter, and the official immigration office translator policeman, who was used to dealing with foreigners was called in, it was a different story. He was more like "You are in China. I've had a long day and I've decided already I'm going to fine you so you better comply if you don't want to spend a night in a holding cell. And don't even think of callling your boss or your embassy." In the end I was lucky and just got a ticket for something I didn't even do but you get the point.

Don't be fooled. Stay away from the police.