Shenzhen SOS calls made easy

Hongkongers and tourists visiting Shenzhen can get help from the police within 10 seconds by pressing a button on the 105 "SOS devices" set up in Luohu and Liantang districts.

Each "emergency call for help" device provides bilingual instructions, and by pressing the button at the center of the device, people can seek help from police if they get lost or encounter other emergency situations, including crime.

Authorities have placed the devices in busy commercial areas and night markets in Luohu in the past few weeks as part of a trial. It plans to extend the service to other parts of Shenzhen later.

Luohu authorities have also installed the devices at 247 schools and 25 hospitals in the district.

Shenzhen police said the new service can help people as well as visitors without a mobile phone "who are not familiar with the mainland police hotline or the city, as well as groups with special needs such as the elderly and children."

The devices are extensions of the police hotline 110.

Officers will respond to people's calls within seconds and locate them through the devices to ensure cases are handled effectively and in a timely manner.

Police will be able to view the users and their surrounding environment through a camera on the device.

Both Luohu and Liantang ports have been equipped with the devices, allowing Hong Kong cross-border travelers to seek help from mainland police easily.

The devices are installed in different forms - some are attached to the walls, some are built as standing kiosks or installed inside a sentry box, others are even attached to robots patrolling at various locations.

Officer Zhang Limai, from the Luohu police station, said the devices were designed to cater to people's circumstances.

"The devices built in the standing kiosk form are of an appropriate height with stairs built under it, as we want to cater to elderly citizens' and children's needs," Zhang said.

"The robots are mainly used at bus or train stations and plazas with huge crowds. The devices can be accessible in a larger area while the robots patrol around, facilitating people to contact the police and seek help," he added.

One of the devices has been set up in a seafood market in Luohu where customers visit at night.

A regular customer of the market, Li, said the device is eye-catching.

"If anything happens, it will be easier for me to contact the police even if I forget to bring my phone. I feel safer now," he said.

Mainland media reported that the device had helped Hongkongers in Shenzhen.

"On October 1, Hong Kong resident Chim used the 'emergency call for help' device on Shenye Dongling road in Luohu, asking the police how to apply for a residence permit in Shenzhen. Officers from the Huangbei police station responded immediately," it reported.

Police were able to solve disputes through the device, as Zhang said the device can quickly inform nearby officers on patrol or on standby.

wallis.wang@singtaonewscorp.com