Shanghai safer in 2019, say police

Shanghai was safer in 2019 than the previous year, with crime rates down significantly, local police said on Thursday.

The number of criminal cases in Shanghai last year was down by 35.7 percent, while the number of cases solved rose by 16.4 percent, police said.

Meanwhile, the number of crimes reported via the emergency hotline 110 decreased by 13.4 percent, according to the police.

The number of alleged pickpocketing cases was down 57.5 percent, while cases of automobile, motorcycle and e-bike thefts fell by 60.8 percent.

The total number of burglary cases decreased by 57.1 percent, while the number of home burglary cases dropped 56.3 percent, and over 66 percent of all cases were solved before the year ended, a record high percentage, police said.

Traffic safety also improved in 2019, according to figures cited by the police. The number of accidents, as well as the number of people killed and injured in accidents, was down 10.5 percent, 14.5 percent and 11.5 percent respectively from the previous year.

About 31 million people are living in Shanghai at the moment.