Hong Kong: Den of thieves??

I love Hong Kong. One of the main reasons is I feel safe. More importantly, I feel my family is safe. By contrast, we’ve lived in cities where I knew constant fear for myself and my loved ones, places so dangerous, I lay awake at night terrified someone would break in and bludgeon us to death for my wedding band or my husband’s Nikes.


But something seems to be changing in Hong Kong, and it worries me. In the past few months, two close friends and I -- all women -- have been the victims of disturbing thefts. All three incidents occurred in public places – as if the thieves felt immune from consequences.


Incident 1. I was with friends waiting for a table at a restaurant on Wyndham St, with my bag and laptop case hanging on a hook next to me. I took my phone out of my bag to share a photo, then turned to put it back -- both bag and laptop case were gone. I was never more than 10 cm from them, with my friends all around me. The theft was caught on a CCTV camera – an expat male walked by me, took the bags and kept going. We called the police within minutes of the theft, and filed a report with them and a detective. Even with the thief caught in the act ON CAMERA, the police never found him.


Incident 2. Another friend was at her office on a quiet day, when no one was there but her to answer the door. A delivery guy came. My friend left her mobile phone at reception, went to get the company chop, came back. Phone gone. Delivery guy gone. She called the delivery company but they wouldn’t do anything because she didn’t have “proof” that the guy stole the phone and he denied it.


Incident 3. Just two nights ago, my best friend and her boyfriend were celebrating with a group at Dragon-I. It was a special night, so they ordered one of those beautiful vodka bottles with a glass dragon and gold flakes inside, ridiculous sparklers and lighted ice bucket. They stood up to dance, next to the table, and SOMEONE TOOK THE ENTIRE BOTTLE!!! Right out of the ice bucket! Since when do you have to guard the drinks on your table???


These are just three examples, obviously not a random sample. One could reasonably argue we were insufficiently vigilant about our belongings. But in my 10+ years in Hong Kong , I’ve never even known someone who had something stolen. What is happening here? Have we become too complacent, such that thieves believe they can strike with impunity?


My concern is that theft without punishment will escalate into violent theft, and this precious safety Hong Kong is renowned for will become a thing of the past. What can we do? What can the police do? Are others seeing a similar trend?

Hong Kong is a safe city when it comes to violent crime not being everywhere and anywhere. You are unlikely to get mugged or raped when walking down the street at 3am.


BUT


If you drop your mobile in a cab or forget it at a restaurant, OR even at work (because this has happened to a friend of mine who mistakenly left an iPhone on a crew bus while working at one of the major airlines), you best say goodbye to the thought of ever getting it back. If it isn't a stranger who knicks it, it may just be someone you work with! Pretty sad, but true. This is now, this was how it was then, and well, its how it always has been (which is why some cabbies have like 7 mobiles velcroed to their dash, ever seen it?)


Also, unlike Japan, where if you lose cash on the train or in a public place you can actually go to lost and found and expect to get it back...dropping your wallet here might not get you your money back, but your wallet may be dropped at a local cop station, if you are lucky, empty of cash and cards, but still, you get the wallet back. My mother has been pickpocketed on the tram, on the bus and on the MTR here in HK, over the years, of course. Some people are just easy targets. Theft is a matter of opportunity more than anything else. Since I was a kid growing up here in HK there have been PSA's about "watch your bags and help prevent theft" so its not new, its just new its happened to people you know (or to you).


As for the vodka bottle being knicked in a bar...also not a new thing. Happens with beer bottles even. So yeah, when you are young and partying and you see older "more wealthy" people partying and leaving a bottle unattended, its likely the opportunity is too good to pass up. Its likely someone young and fearless of consequences, we were all young once, although maybe not all of us were up for thieving, but we must all know someone who was. I wonder, maybe its not so much that its a new thing such as "crime on the rise" but simply that since its happened to you now, which well, no doubt over the years it would have happened to others, its just something new to you?


Theft was an issue when we were in school (ESF) and its still an issue now that my son is in ESF, so well, only difference is now its not walkmans that need to be watched but laptops, iPods and iPhones. The value of thievable items have simply gone up. *shrug*


I haven't lost a mobile phone in a while, nor been burgled in years, but then, I have been a lot more vigilant since my home got burgled 10 years ago right after I moved in. Vigilance is the only prevention, and avoiding giving someone the temptation. So sorry that this happened to you though...arrrggh, really sucks how it makes you feel so violated! :(

Also if you happen to go on a short-haul holiday, be VERY vigilant of your carry-on bag(s). It's not a new thing but recently there have been more and more "gangs" of 2-3 ppl, mostly mainlanders, who target these flights. Their MO? They check in together but choose seats far apart. They board early and then while pretending to put their own bags in the overhead compartments, they will rummage adjacent bags and then pass their gains to their cohorts sitting elsewhere. I'm told that they mainly target cash, and will leave iPhones / iPads alone. Although I always keep cash on my person, many others apparently will put cash in their carry-on. If you do, best invest in a combo lock before going on holiday.

My wallet was stolen in Singapore. Before I discovered the theft and got around to call my banks, within hours, charges to my CCs were made at high-end fashion (LV, etc) and jewelry shops on Orchard Road. These places are no doubt equipped with CCTVs and the purchases were made between 10pm-midnight. And yet, the Singaporean police were not able to track down the perpetrator(s). Or did they even bother to try? I tried very hard not to let my imagination run wild!


Thank goodness, after much hassle, my banks in HK released me of all the fraudulent charges. I guess the moral of the lesson is that a place may be perceived safe until something happens you (or someone you know.) Never let down you guard. Cheers.

I used to live in Happy Valley and worked in Causeway Bay 10 yrs ago. Flatmates had their hand bags stolen frequently in the super markets. The police took action and found out that there were Vietnamese gangs operating in that area and with the crowds on the weekends it was more prominent. A lot of petty crime was also attributed to mainland gangs here on tourist visa's. I have found that HK people in general are v honest and even had a home visitors bag with 15000 USD returned to her by cops in the NT when she misplaced it during a sightseeing trip. I feel a lot of petty crime is linked to short term visitors and could be organised crime syndicates or unemployed youngsters just looking for quich bucks to support their drug habbits. With the worldwide economies in the doldrums such incidents are bound to rise and its upto the individuals to be as vigilant as possible. Our social life is limited to the DARK side and in smaller groups so maybe we have been unaware of what happens in the LKF districtt. There are other posts about people's drinks being spiked and bank accounts being cleaned up.

I lost my walet on the street, fell out of my jacket pocket i figured.

reappeard a week later at police station all intacted witht the minimal cash i had in it. figured it was a good local person that handed it in.

found a cheap phone on the MTE a few weeks ago, waited for some to call to return it, no one rung till the batteries went flat.

and I acidently picked up a wrong bag from a random TV film crew in a rush to get away from a thunderstorm on Mt Davis.

later found a Id card and was able to return the bag a week later.


But have been given the "I'm just had my walet stolen and need $40 to get home" from a gwai-lo... said he would pay me back. i gave him $100... never heard from him again.


Would love to set up a sting and start fighting back.

wouldn't be hard if this problem is prolific.

and if the police are to busy... well. why not!


not hard to make a easy mark...

have a good suport crew... bit of video footage...

and a bit of, "oh they triped down the stairs" before handing them over to police.


I'm game!

had my house broken into 3 times in 6 months in NZ.

Lost alot and still gives me nightmares during holidays back home.

it was my best friends brother that was doing it.

although police were involded, he did get away with it.


but still feel safer here.

although i visit GZ often and heard many stories... so generaly watch my stuff carefully

although rarely visit LKF.


my 65 year old mother in-law with her wits about her... was seated in KFC... some random guy walks up to her and just stares at her.... "she askes what do you want?" he pauses and then walks off.

1 min later she realises her purse is gone.

They must have followed her from her previous shopping. as she had 6k in her wallet.


watch yoursh*t peoples!

Jeysus, fightingcock! Thats horrible!


I remember many moons ago when I lived on Lamma for a year, just after moving in, barely one week really, the apartment was burgled. Someone climbed up the drain on the outside, in the balcony, through a window and then locked the house from the inside, robbed all valuables and then hopped right out the window after closing it.


Damn it scared me to know someone had been in my house, ruffled through my things and taken things that had been in my family for generations.


I agree with castingasparagii, people like that need to be shot!

and what happened after that JCPD? :)

I lost my Blackberry Bold and flat key in Neptunes II a few months back....went back the next day to see if it had been handed in and guess what? It had.


Unfortunately i lost my blackberry bold in the same place again a few weeks later and wasnt so lucky that time lol.