Filing a Police Report

[ckc_ucl]

What a weekend I'm having! First I leave my things in a taxi and then I have my bag stolen.

Does anyone know how to file a police report in Beijing and will I need to take a Mandarin-speaking friend with me?

Many thanks.

[trevelyan]

I don't think you have a hope in hell of getting them back. Your best bet is simply to go to the local police station or 派出所. The staff there will probably not speak English so yes, you should probably go with someone who speaks Chinese. If you lost a passport or any of that sort of documentation you should report it directly to the embassy.

[ckc_ucl]

I know I won't get my belongings back but I need to report it to the police anyway for insurance purposes.

Thanks for the info.

[roddy]

You are in dorms at Beishida, am I right? - reception staff should be able to tell you which is the nearest police station. I think it's 北太平庄派出所, 62250011 /62210111, 海淀区明光村甲43号, but check before you actually go there. A native speaker would probably be helpful, but otherwise you should be able to muddle through. If you aren't confident maybe get someone to write you a note explaining what you need to do.

I'd imagine you are meant to report the theft at the station nearest to where it happened. If it happened on the other side of town, you might be meant to trek over there (or tell a fib about where it happened)

What, out of curiosity, did happen? Hope it was a relatively untraumatic theft.

[889]

As to taxi lost-and-found, this article indicates you should head to the 北京市公安局出租汽车管理处 Beijing Shi Gongan Ju Chuzu Qiche Guanli Chu. No, I'm not sure where it's located. In any event, it seems that only about 10 percent of lost items are reclaimed. Maybe because no one can find the lost property office.

http://business.sohu.com/2004/02/25/64/article219196403.shtml

As to filing a police report for lost property, this web page indicates that foreigners should go to the Exit-Entry Administration.

http://www.bjgaj.gov.cn/epolice/caiwu.htm

As an aside, if you lose your passport, you first file a report with the Exit-Entry Administration, then visit your embassy.

[Qcash3]

When I had my passport and wallet stolen, it was holy hell to try to file a police report. Every police station I went to told me that it wasn't in their district, so I had better go to the police station across the street. Luckily I had my Chinese friend help me file a report, and take it to the entry-exit administration so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. If you lost your belongings in a taxi none of the police stations are going to claim jurisdiction so you may have to end up lying about where the theft occured.