Police recommend that foreigners get familiar with China's emergency numbers. Photo: IC

It was around 3 am when Crystal Hardy (pseudonym) walked out of a bar and into an unwarranted attack. Two other patrons of the bar, who were noticeably intoxicated, had been getting riled up over the course of the night. As Hardy walked out of the bar, she was first hit by the girl, and then attacked by her boyfriend, who choked her, grabbed her wrist and threw her to the ground in a rage. 

Hardy, 31, has been living in Beijing for 10 months and never expected that something like this would happen to her. She considers Beijing to be safer than her hometown in the US and has never felt a sense of danger, even when walking home alone through the hutong at night.

When she woke up the next day with an aching wrist and marks on her throat, she knew she could not just let the incident go. However, it was the first time she had ever been in need of police services in China, and she did not know where to start.

Many expats consider China to be a safe environment, but there are steps that all foreigners should be aware of if they witness or become a victim of a crime.

Hardy asked one of her Chinese friends to call the police for her to find out what the procedures were and how to get the footage from the CCTV camera in the hutong as evidence. Her friend helped her locate the police station she needed to go to, and the responder on the police line made a note of the incident so that it would be on record when Hardy showed up at the station the next day.

If you are a witness or victim of a crime or accident, you can dial 110 to get the police emergency line or text their messaging system at 12110. When contacting the police, Hardy recommends that callers make sure to have their information, including their name, contact number, and address ready, along with as many details and records of the incident as possible.

It would also be useful if they can find a Chinese friend to help translate as some smaller cities and towns may not have many languages available. Larger cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou have up to 10 language choices.

Hardy also suggests taking a Chinese friend to file your report. She said she was fortunate to find a police officer who could take her statement in English. The officer asked for her passport, checked her visa and housing registration, took her statement and then told her to get an X-ray of her wrist. When she returned, some officers drove her to a forensic medical examination center to assess her injuries. They also used the footage from the bar and interviewed witnesses to locate her attackers.

During the process, Hardy learned that Chinese police do not investigate all the reports they receive but will accept reports on all kinds of cases and pass on those they do not investigate to the relevant agency. 

"Local police stations Beijing and Guangzhou handle crimes that include cases where someone is in danger or in need of immediate help, murder, robbery, kidnapping, rape, assault or theft," she said. "They also look into cases that involve violence or destruction of public property, gambling, prostitution or drugs."

"They also investigate cases regarding damaged water or electrical systems that may cause danger to the public, lost elderly people or children, and natural disasters," she added.

While admitting that the whole process was a bit tedious in the beginning, Hardy said that she had a positive experience.

"The police were friendly and very accommodating," said Hardy. "Even though I wish the incident never happened, it was an eye-opening experience, and I think it is important for all expats to become familiar with the process if they ever need it."