A month later, the same man was detained again and the victim gave a statement. After that, Chu messaged the earlier victim the result, and she replied, saying she was sorry and expressing her gratitude.
Chu, who oversees suspect interrogations and victim interviews for the Sihui squad, said women tend to show less concern and talk more directly to her than to her male colleagues.
Also, "when suspects are not admitting to any wrongdoing, I will ask them to think about what if it happened to their wife or female relatives, and they usually become emotional", she added. "That usually leads to a confession."
Liu said the campaign, which is intensified during the summer and ramped down in winter months, has achieved good results and has helped reduce incidences of sexual harassment on subways. Most of the suspects who are punished realize their problems after education, and there are few repeat offenders, he said.
However, as Beijing's subway network continues to expand, and to ensure sufficient resources, police are building a cooperative mechanism with subway security guards on platforms and in cars who can report suspicious activity, including sexual harassment.
In June last year, Beijing deployed about 1,100 security guards on two subway lines as a pilot program. They have a security personnel permit issued by public security bureaus.
Each guard is assigned to watch over two subway cars, to deal with uncivilized behavior such as vagrancy and fighting, and to assist in emergency situations that require evacuation.
In June, Beijing deployed an additional 2,000. The security guards have not yet covered the whole subway network.
Mu Haitao, deputy head of security for Beijing MTR Co, which operates lines 4, 14 and 16 as well as the Daxing Line, said the guards are not police officers and do not have power of law enforcement, but they will offer help when needed.
"If passengers keep silent, the guards will not notice such cases in the packed cars. If they ask for help, the guards will help stop the suspect and report to police for arrest in a timely manner," he said.
Liu advised that at peak times, women should try to stand close to other female passengers. If they are harassed or molested, they should try to protect themselves first. If they are not sure whether the suspect is doing something inappropriate, they can give a glare and walk away, because, Liu said, the perverts are usually timid.
Females should avoid serious conflict with suspects and ask other passengers or guards for help, he said.
