Prevent theft
The New Year is approaching, and Chinese people are shopping, giving gifts, and carrying more cash, which is a time when pickpockets are frequent in the Asian community.
The New York City Police Department conducts burglary prevention in the Chinese community before the New Year.
Luo Jianfan, a Chinese police officer of the city police's anti-pickpocketing team, reminded that the targets of pickpockets are mostly aimed at Asians, and Chinese people should be vigilant on the street and in the subway, carry less cash when going out, and do not put their wallets behind them.
Luo Jianfan said that the New York City Police Department (NYPD) set up an anti-pickpocketing team more than a year ago to carry out tasks in places such as the subway with dense traffic, especially at large-scale events, such as the Chinese New Year parade, the Rockefeller Christmas tree lighting, etc., will deploy a large number of police forces, including the city police team to combat pickpockets, will also mix in the crowd.
Luo Jianfan said that most of the thieves target Asians, because Asians are easy to target, and many victims are Asians.
The three highest rates of pickpocketing in recent days are pickpocketing on crowded roads, theft in parking lots, and tracking people who have withdrawn cash from banks to commit pickpocketing.
The thief looks like an ordinary person, either an old man, or a young man, or even a child, and they commit crimes in teams, like a family, ranging from two or three people to five or six people, and there is a division of labor among them. Some people will distract you first, some will pull your bag open, some will try to block your view so that you can't see what they are doing, and in the bank, they will hang out to find and lock on to the target, and the elderly are often their target at the bank. When something is stolen, they disappear. Victims often return home only to find that their wallets are missing.
Thieves may also have props to cover up or cover up when committing crimes, "scarves are more commonly used to cover one hand and put the other hand in your pocket, and in the summer, if someone is wearing a scarf or a large jacket, it is suspicious." They also wear hats and newspapers in their hands, and when they are in the supermarket, they go to the checkout counter with things that cover their hand movements and reach into the victim's bag. ”
In order to let the reporter have a perceptual understanding, Luo Jianfan led the reporter to observe on the spot on Flushing Main Street, he said, in places with dense traffic often pickpockets are easy to wait for opportunities to commit crimes.
For example, he said that the bottom of the Long Island Railroad Bridge on Flushing Main Street is a section of the road where there is a high incidence of theft - the road is narrowed and people are next to each other, "The thief cooperates with each other, one person walks in front to block you, and the other person approaches you and collides with you, because there are so many people, you don't care if you are bumped in, but the thief steals your wallet or mobile phone when he hits you." ”
So how to prevent and reduce losses?
- Luo Jianfan said that when you go out on the street, the wallet should be placed in front of the body, not behind the body, and the bag should be zipped;
- If it is not necessary, bring less cash out of the house, so that even if the wallet is stolen, the credit card and bank card can be reported lost and reissued, and the cash loss is not much, so as to reduce the loss;
- Also, be wary of those who are close to you.
If the phone is stolen, Luo Jianfan suggested that it is best to provide the IMEI number of the phone when going to the police. He also explained that although the phone has the Find My Phone function, even if it can locate the location of the stolen phone, without a search warrant, the police will not be able to enter the building to catch the thief.
Luo Jianfan said that most pickpockets will target the Chinese community. Because they think the Chinese community is easier to "get started".
During the festive season, Chinese people carry more cash on their bodies, so they should be vigilant when walking on the street and in the subway, and they should be distracted when shopping, so they should also be vigilant and be wary of those who are close to them, and finally he wished everyone a safe New Year.