How to handle a bomb threat

China Times relates the following failed extortion attempt through transcripts of emergency calls:

1st call: 10:50

110: (normal female voice) Hello, 110.

Gao: (calmly) There are going to be deaths here – the explosives are all set up.

110: What?

Gao: (raising voice) We want to make some money through this.

110: Where? What district? What place?

Gao: Renmincun train station.

110: Why do you want to make a bomb threat?

Gao: It’s all set – 10 kilos. Just want to make some money.

110: Money from who?

Gao: You. Anyone, whoever has it.

2nd call: 11:06

110: Hello, 110.

Gao: The explosives are all set. The money?

110: What did you say? What do you mean?

Gao: Didn’t I just call the police? Or should I run a test for you?

110: No need. Where should we send the 500,000 to you?

Gao: The train station. I’ll see when you come.

3rd call: 11:29

110: Hello, 110.

Gao: Why haven’t you arrived?

110: What’s the problem?

Gao: The explosives are all set. Just waiting for you.

110: We went, but we didn’t see you.

Gao: (standard Tangshan dialect) You’ve broken the rules of the game. I said only one person, why were there three who came? Could I come out then?

110: (switched to male police officer) I’ll come find you.

Gao: You sent three people.

110: 500,000 is heavy. We needed three people.

Gao: What if you arrested me?

110: Why would we arrest you? We came to give you money.

Gao: Are the people’s police really that nice?

110: The people’s police love the people!

Gao: But aren’t I a criminal?

110: How long have you been in Beijing? What have you been doing?

Gao: (unhurriedly) More than half a year. Just making some money to cover expenses. (suddenly) Why are you asking these details?

110: Just making friends.

Gao: Making friends? Why don’t you just have me locked up for ten years or eight years….(hangs up)

Gao, a 19-year-old security guard, was later arrested at the Renmincun Station in Fengtai District. He said, “I was just feeling excited and looking for fun. My phone account was overdrawn, so I could only dial 110…” He had reportedly done the same thing several times back in Tangshan.

The lead story in China Times on Wednesday also concerned law enforcement, but of a somewhat more sobering kind – the front-page photo was of a fruit-seller who was “accidentally” beaten severely during an altercation between four fruit sellers and 20 chengguan, the urban administration security forces who have recently been involved in many violent incidents in the course of enforcement of city regulations. The chengguan, armed with billy-clubs, said that they only beat the vendors in self-defense.