FUTIAN police have set up an online division to handle complaints about criminal activities posted by netizens on major online forums.
Launched in October, the online division targets minor crimes such as theft and lost property in Futian District, said an officer-in-charge identified as Zhao.
Using the official name of Futian Wangjing (Futian Online Police), Zhao said he would check major online forums each day.
If I find complaints about minor crimes, I will talk to the complainants online, giving my ID and asking for more information that could help in solving the cases, Zhao said.
One netizen with an online identity of Wandering Soul said online police had helped find his wallet which was stolen at Huaqiangbei.
I filed a complaint to vent my anger in a forum at sznews.com, the netizen said. I did not expect a cop to send me a posting. In less than 12 hours, he told me the wallet had been found.
Zhao said Futian police would set up an online police Web site for crime reporting in the future, where residents can chat with police.
Professor Xiao Jun of Shenzhen University said the service was a valuable innovation that was catching up with social advances and was an indication of the wide acceptance of the Internet. (Mu Zi)
