No, the precinct was also the residential registry office. Everyone in the precinct or district has to be registered at an address and the computer is used exclusively for that purpose. Additionally, no one can move from their residence without notifying the police and receiving permission. Basically, the police know everyone in their precinct, where they live and work and probably much of what they do. It is a major harbor and the site of many new economic zones.
Construction is everywhere and so are the people.
The city had approximately 15,000 criminal cases in 1993 and that represented an increase which has been consistent in the last five years. Theft, both personal and commercial, accounted for 80 percent of all criminal crime. The city had a clearance rate of 65 percent on crimes of theft, fraud and assault. Shanghai also has some violent crime, although dramatically low for its population. There were 300 reported robberies in 1993, but no armed robberies.