It’s a very safe city but expats don’t know the emergency numbers

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A woman walks alone on the Shanghai street at night. Photo: CFP As one of China's most developed and prosperous cities, Shanghai is no stranger to superlatives. The city often finds itself at, or near, the top of lists for things like average salaries, disposable incomes, household wealth, education and welfare entitlements. As of last week, Shanghai can add another achievement to its trophy cabinet - it was recently ranked as China's safest city, according to a survey by Insight China, a government publication, and Tsinghua University. This conclusion was arrived at using a statistical tool described as a "Chinese safety index," which gauged local sentiment in several major cities on social security, health safety, production safety, economic safety and psychological security (no specific definitions were given for these terms).Walking through the streets of Shanghai most evenings, it's not hard to feel the sense of ease that residents feel about personal safety and security. Earlier this week at around 9:30 one night in the former French concession, many of the area's lanes were filled with men and women - foreign and Chinese - walking alone. Almost none of them seemed the least bit concerned.Yet, in a city with an estimated 24 million people, accidents, injuries and crimes are inevitable. Despite the feelings of security many have on Shanghai's streets, local newspaper pages are often filled with stories of violence, theft, deceit and threats to health and well-being. Public transportation users in the city will also have seen security camera footage of petty criminals and con artists being caught and then promptly nabbed by the cops - these videos are often played for commuters on Shanghai's trains and buses. But still, with so many tales of criminality and peril coming to the public's attention only after they have been uncovered by authorities, these reports offer a certain degree of reassurance - it seems most real villains get apprehended, scams are exposed, wrongs righted, threats resolved and officials do their jobs.Even for those with limited exposure to the media, the heavy presence of police and other public security officials on the streets of Shanghai is hard to miss. Nearly as conspicuous are the closed circuit cameras, which can be found, by the dozen, above most of the city's intersections and streets. Although hard data and facts related to Shanghai's policing efforts are hard to come by, it's probably not a stretch to assume that the city's heavy emphasis on security, coupled with a national criminal conviction rate that typically hovers around 98 percent, is probably enough to keep many on the straight and narrow.But do members of Shanghai's foreign community view the city as a safe place to live and work? How familiar are the city's foreigners with local emergency services? The Global Times discussed this with expats. Pamela, freight forwarding, Chile For sure, I feel safe in Shanghai. The only thing I avoid is street food, but, overall, things are safe here. I would warn people to be careful of their phones (or other valuables) if they are in the subway, but these are normal precautions. I think Shanghai is safe because of the justice system - if you do something wrong, you will go to jail.If I was in an emergency, I would call my company and ask for help. I have very good Chinese friends so I would call them too. Allie Dibble, public relations, the US Walking home at night, I definitely feel safe in Shanghai. As an American though, my definition of safety is a little different now and I do worry about pollution.In emergencies, I think I would know what to do. For example, last week my boyfriend had a rash. I told him that I didn't know the number for 911 (the US emergency services number) here - because there are different numbers for various emergencies - but I just called the guys downstairs in our building and they helped him get into a taxi to go to a 24-hour clinic. Martha Daniel, kindergarten teacher, the US I feel really safe here, especially with everything that's going on in Missouri right now and all the recent gun violence in the US. I'm from Ohio and I feel safer walking down the streets here at night than I ever did in Columbus. Traffic does scare me a little bit more here though, but that's really my only safety concern.I think Chinese culture and a lack of guns make the city safe. In my experience, people in China mostly do their own thing and leave each other alone.In an emergency situation, I have heard that ambulances here might not come very quickly. Everyone has always told me that if you're really injured or need to go to a hospital, just get in a taxi because they drive faster and can easily maneuver through traffic. Being here over a year, I've seen ambulances stuck in traffic, whereas in America people move to the side of the road.Eric, recruitment consultant, the NetherlandsI don't know if Shanghai is the safest city in China, but I definitely feel very safe here. In a real emergency, I think I would start screaming and someone would show up! But, no, I don't know the emergency numbers. Antonia Marciano, professor, Italy I haven't been here very long but my impression is that (Shanghai) is very safe. You can walk around at any hour of the night or day. I've heard of some crimes happening, but I think it's very unusual to hear about serious things like murder or robbery.I lived in New York for many years, and Rome and Marseilles, which are much more dangerous than here. I'm not an expert on Shanghai, but I feel it's safe and many of my female friends walk around at night and don't seem to fear anything. As for me, I try to avoid overcrowded places if I can help it; but, you know, after living in New York, where every day could be your last, here it's definitely better.I feel like the Chinese State is very present. At the same time I have the impression that people actually talk more to the police here, which is something that I've never seen in the US or Europe. Sometimes you see people chatting - or even arguing - with the police, which is not something that would probably happen in the US.In an emergency, I'm not sure what I would do. I have a secretary who is Chinese, so I think the very first thing I would do is just call her and try to get help. James Moore, media, the US As a foreigner, I haven't had any trouble here. I think the biggest risk might come from feeling over-safe, especially for younger foreigners who might put themselves into stupid situations because they think there is no danger.In an emergency, I don't have any idea what I would do - but I'm lucky enough to work with Chinese people and I would call one of my colleagues and ask them to help me out. Michael Kadiz, education consultant, the US So far, I feel safe in Shanghai. I was recently in Beijing for three weeks and I also felt safe there. In Shanghai, it's just much more dense and I've never walked down a street where I've felt unsafe because there's always people around. New York City is a little safer than Chicago (where I'm from), for example, because there are so many people and I think the same principle applies to Shanghai.In an emergency, do I have a game plan? No, I don't know where the nearest hospital is and I don't know the emergency numbers.Paul, teacher, the USI've only been here for two weeks. I kind of knew some of the issues before I came here. I read up on certain scams and stuff like that, but I've not been approached by any scammers yet. My home town is Las Vegas. I would say compared to Las Vegas, Shanghai is a safe place. I feel very safe here. If there were some kind of problem, I guess I'd talk to my hotel about it. I'm not sure what the number for the police is. Colin Hanna, content manager, Canada I feel very safe in Shanghai. There are many towns in the West that have parts of the town that you know you're not supposed to go to at certain times. I've been in Shanghai for nine years and I've had barely any problems. Maybe one or two where things got dicey. I think the only times I've felt unsafe were probably of my doing anyway, just the stupid "entitled foreigner" thing. I think pickpockets are the most apparent problem here, although I've only been hit by one once. It was during the Expo, it was a very crowded stairway, and I was wearing very baggy shorts. I touched where my wallet should be, and it was just gone. I stupidly hadn't buttoned up the button. I went to my bank and they immediately gave me a new card. As to who I would call in the event of a crime, I guess it would depend. For many crimes, I wouldn't even bother with the police. I don't know how useful they would be, and I don't know how useful I would be in assisting them, as my Chinese is terrible. Vicky Chalmers, student, the US I go out a lot at night and I never feel in danger. I read a story once about a girl who was going home from a bar in a cab and the driver attacked her, molested her. But that is rare and it could happen in any city. I don't really take any special precautions, but I'm sure my housemates would raise the alarm if I went missing.Global Times Tags: Rapid Prototyping, Rapid Prototyping China, Plastic Tooling, Plastic Tooling China, Rapid Prototype, Rapid Prototype China, Rapid Tooling, Rapid Tooling China, CNC Prototype, CNC Prototype China, Functional Prototype, Functional Prototype China, Metal Prototype, Metal Prototype China, Plastic Prototype, Plastic Prototype China, Rapid Manufacturing, Rapid Manufacturing China, Low volume production, Stereolithography, Stereolithography China, Vacuum Casting, Vacuum Casting China, whatsapp marketing, wechat marketing, seo, e marketing, 網頁設計提供seo, e marketing, web design by zoapcon