Yang Lifei/Shanghai Daily news

Sheng Yaozu, director of Nanjing Road E. Police Station, boasts that his police staff can communicate in four working languages: Chinese, English, Xinjiang Uygur language and sign language.
They can also help a drunken Ukrainian accordion player find his way home and a French clothing designer register her wolfhound.
As the police station is just 30 meters from the downtown Nanjing Road Pedestrian Mall, officers deal with foreigners' complaints or expatriate affairs more often than police in other districts.
Sometimes when police handle theft cases, according to Sheng, they use Xinjiang Uygur language and sign language as many suspects are natives of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and others are deaf-mute people.
"So my staff are usually seen communicating in spoken words, written words as well as body language at the same time," he smiled.
One chief officer Liu Jianwei said he once found himself in a funny situation when he could not remember how to say "metro" when giving directions to a foreigner.
"I could only imitate the whistle of a train and meanwhile swing my right hand forward like a train moving under the ground," Liu laughed. "At last I made myself understood."
Director Sheng has just returned from Beijing after attending the National Public Security and Defense Hero and Model Representative Assembly last month.
His team was awarded the title of "National Exemplary Public Security Grass-roots Level Unit" for a second time - the only station in the city to win the honor twice. They warn expatriates against theft and offer timely assistance when they have trouble.
At night officers sometimes baby-sit when some foreign nationals lose their way after revelry.
Last summer a drunken Ukrainian musician was found staggering along the road and officers immediately took him to the police station.
"We could not find out anything about him until my father, a former Russian language interpreter, talked to him on the phone," officer Liu said. "But he could only tell us he lived in Pengpu area, not providing an address."
Driving around, the Ukrainian became impatient and wanted to get out.
"To calm him down, we three started to sing old Russian songs while the guy was playing his accordion," Liu smiled. "Suddenly he pointed to a lane leading to his temporary residence."
During the daytime Liu is in charge of the Suzhou Road S. and neighboring area, home to six overseas companies and four foreign residential communities.
About a year ago Liu and a colleague spent a whole day helping a French lady, the owner of a clothing design company, register her wolfhound with local police.
"Considering she might be unfamiliar with Chinese canine regulations and might have communication problems," he said. "We accompanied her until every procedure was finished."