Pinpointing safest areas and those rife with crime

A security conference hosted by Minhang police on July 11 listed the most secure and the most dangerous areas in the district. Gumei Block, Hongqiao Town, Maqiao Town, Pujiang Town and the Xingzhuang Industrial Park were deemed to be the safest.

The number of burglaries in Minhang in the past three years has dropped by two-fifths. In some communities, burglaries have fallen to virtually zero.

Shanghai Cannes, Junlian Town and Park Apartment were listed as having the highest burglary rates. A questionnaire conducted by the government earlier revealed that burglary is the crime residents fear most.

Junlian Town on Chundu Road has broken security fences and only one guard on duty at the north entrance. Passengers and motorcycles come and go through open gates without being checked. Most apartments there are rentals, a factor in burglary rates.

In 2015, 58 burglaries were reported in Shanghai Cannes, a housing estate that has the worst burglary rate in the district. Ninety out of 120 surveillance cameras at the estates were broken or out of use in 2015.

Last year, community police added surveillance cameras and repaired malfunctioning units. There are now 82 security guards, divided into two night shifts, to patrol the estate. The strategies appear to be working. The burglary rate has fallen by 90 percent.