Internet appeal too successful

By WANG YAN (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-12 09:56

The police have tried to tap into the growing popularity of appealing online for help in solving crimes but an Internet post made by an officer earlier this week backfired, with so many people responding that investigators could not deal with the workload.

A Chaoyang policeman turned to the Internet on Monday in a bid to dig out a robbery suspect.

A post entitled "Human Flesh Arrest Warrant" appeared on popular community website Mop.com on Monday afternoon, where the experiences of a female robbery victim were described and several pictures of the suspect posted.

"My name is Yan Fang. I'm posting this to ask for help in finding the bad guy as soon as possible so that no more people will be hurt," the post stated. It received more than 1,000 comments in a short time.

The post included the contact details of a police officer named Che who is working on the case.

The photos of the suspect were taken as he withdrew money from ATMs, Che was quoted as saying in the Beijing Times on Wednesday.

The online post was deleted from the site on Wednesday morning because it created so much interest, police could not cope with the data.

"The post attracted too much attention, so we had to give up the Internet hunting attempt," Che said.

On Thursday, the officer said the case had stagnated again.

"Things are turning into a passive position," Che said, refusing to release further details about the case.

A call for comments on the issue to the Chaoyang district police station where Che works was directed to the station's publicity director, whose cell remained unanswered on Thursday.

The moderator presiding over the online forum, who named herself Xueseyanzhi, said the post went off-track from its original goal.

"The police hoped to try out more ways of cracking down on crime," she said. "Posting the information online was also expected to warn the public about possible dangers.

"But if the media keeps sensationalizing the action, the suspect might learn about it and leave the city. Also, public opinion could put the officer under pressure, which is likely to hinder the handling of the case."

She said it was the officer who initiated the idea.

"We talked on the phone and I checked his credentials. Searching for people online is a serious issue. We should be responsible to the people. I just hoped to offer some help as an ordinary citizen," she said.

Tang Hongxin, a lawyer from the Beijing Yingke Law Firm, said he viewed the try positively.

"The attempt was certainly not against any laws or regulations. Collecting information through new means like the Internet is expected to help with investigations and it gives the public the opportunity to work with the police," Tang said Thursday.

"I believe the police must have collected some sort of evidence about the suspect's criminal actions, therefore posting his pictures online should not be regarded as an invasion of his privacy."

But anybody conducting such searches by posting information online about alleged crimes should be careful not to go beyond the regulations, he added.