The rise of petty theft in China

[Dennis143]

She said many of the elderly are victims of purse snatching and yanking jewelry from the victim's neck. She doesn't take her purse with her anymore when walking to her morning tai-chi chuan sessions and is very cautious about withdrawing money from outside ATMs.

 

My 84 year old mother was knocked down and had her purse stolen while in the Walgreen's parking lot last year.

 

Desperate people will prey on the weak anywhere and everywhere.

[JingJoseph]

I recall two times from two not major towns in china people saw I was american and wanted to know everything they could not find on tv or the web about us americans.My wife don't even know this but in li-jiang meet a person just like me just a normal person same as me.Wife was asleep so I went to get me a beer mind you this is old town li-jiang.He has a small shop there and many times I saw him, always said hello to him.He and I tried very hard to understand each other.His english was chinglish, my chinese well, didn't exist.But it didn't matter we understood each other.My new friend told me we are just like you in USA, we want that life.We be free he said.Exactly how to answer his question "we will be free" i don't know how to do.I wanted to tell him freedom in this country may not be what you think. I keep thinking this word freedom as most of us "good" people see it is nothing like what people from other countries view us.Maybe there is to much freedom for some who should not have or know how to deal with

this.This crime thing seems to be only getting worse day to day, week to week, no matter what country.Have heard many times this world is its on worst enemy.Sounds not so hard to belive to me.

Edited March 8, 2008 by JingJoseph (see edit history)

[georgeandli]

When I was in GUZ Lao Po used a plastic bag from a store as a purse. She told me that threw off purse snatchers. Like they wouldn't steal that too? Really made less sense when she would throw change in it and the plastic was so thin you could see it.

[woainilin]

It is a well known fact that crime and unemployment rates are linked. I don't see why China would be any different. With high inflation belts are tightened and people laid off. Desparate people do desparate things. All the same I still think China is safer.

 

 

Just an observation but on our current visit to China, Lin's friends and family mentioned that their little city has had an increase in crime including a guy being shot in his aun'ts building which was unheard of in the past in this little town. Not mentioned in the same time I noticed that both Lin's parents jobs are going away. The mothers company had reductions and the fathers company is being bought out and his division closed. So perhaps there is a link. While we were here we were in a mall and some peasent girl was following us. Lin tells her to fuck off or he will bang her. I being the stupid foreigner asked why he was so mean and he said she was a pick pocket.. I guess if she had any illusion that Lin was a foreigner it went away very quickly.

[Tony_onrock]

pick pocketing, panhandling and burglary are the most common crimes in China and indeed on the rise. unemployment is not the main cause. In parts of China, esp. around the Pearl Delta, labor shortage is becoming a problem, caused by higher wages in the Yangzi river area and even in Shichuan, which used to be and probably still is a large if not the largest labor source.

Migrant workers and growing gap in the rich and poor drive a lot of people to easier and faster way to get money.

[griz326]

>>>unemployment is not the main cause

 

 

...but everyone wants to explain why crime is increasing.

 

Crime and capitalism go together like peanut butter & jelly.

[rogerluli]

At least China knows how to take care of criminals... This guy got all his wealth confiscated and LIFE IN PRISON for selling fake cigarettes...

 

http://english.sina.com/china/1/2008/0310/149566.html

 

Imagine what he would have gotten in the good old US???

[shaffej7070]

At least China knows how to take care of criminals... This guy got all his wealth confiscated and LIFE IN PRISON for selling fake cigarettes...

 

http://english.sina.com/china/1/2008/0310/149566.html

 

Imagine what he would have gotten in the good old US???

 

 

What exactly are fake cigarettes?

[rogerluli]

At least China knows how to take care of criminals... This guy got all his wealth confiscated and LIFE IN PRISON for selling fake cigarettes... B)

 

http://english.sina.com/china/1/2008/0310/149566.html

 

Imagine what he would have gotten in the good old US???

 

 

What exactly are fake cigarettes?

 

A co-worker reading over my shoulder asked the same ??? Jimi...I'm assuming they are selling an expensive brand box with cheap cigarettes inside...Since I am an expert on Chinese cigarettes I can tell you that unlike American smokes there are huge price differences in the Chinese brands...For example the Panda brand that Deng favored sells for 100 RMB and cheap brands are about 10 RMB...

Edited March 10, 2008 by rogerluli (see edit history)

[Corbin]

>>>unemployment is not the main cause

 

 

...but everyone wants to explain why crime is increasing.

 

Crime and capitalism go together like peanut butter & jelly.

Boy is that a sad quote indeed................