We don’t need another hero

Most of us do not have to imagine being a witness to a crime. We have been there - and we know our response. Walking down a dark street, we have seen a man being punched, or we have noticed someone picking the pocket of a shopper. And most of us have done nothing to stop the crime directly, because we are not heroes.

When so-called hero Molly Wang caught a pickpocket stealing a mobile phone in a metro station, the Internet erupted in praise. People admired Wang's tough attitude, but I think her story raises questions that we need to consider.

As reported in the Shanghai media, Wang was patrolling the subway as a member of the "Anti-thief Alliance," a group of volunteer crime fighters. At Yishan Road metro station, she spotted someone acting suspiciously, bumping into and following other people. Wang followed this suspect until she saw the person stealing a mobile phone. Wang ordered the pickpocket to stop, which led to her being attacked by the accused.

After the incident, Wang stressed that the public should stand up to criminals in order to help our fellow citizens.

While Wang's courage is both commendable and undeniable, her advice is potentially dangerous. She wasn't seriously injured by her attacker, but she was lucky. One wonders what would have been the outcome if she had been in a less public place than a subway station.

And this brings up the first reason why citizens should have limited involvement with criminals: namely, that criminals hurt people. Sadly, they are often people for whom violence is a way of life. As a result, they are skilled in brutality, and are sometimes armed. Another reason why people should refrain from tangling with criminals is that most of us are not trained in how the law works. The average person does not know the rights that are due to people, who are suspected of committing a crime. Crime is best left to professional police officers.

Wang and her alliance should stop their patrols, but they should not discontinue their pursuit of a crime-free Shanghai. Although relatively safe compared with many other places, Shanghai is not perfect. There is crime committed here, and we should not patiently accept abuse done to defenseless victims. We need to fight, but our fight needs to differ from that suggested by Wang.

We need to combat the source of crime - poverty. And we do this through a two-pronged effort. First we must show charity to those in need, especially children, the elderly and other vulnerable people who cannot help themselves. There are groups in Shanghai that are already active in such ways. And then we need to provide more opportunities for people through education and employment.