Chinese girl power: videos apparently showing fearless women fighting off thieves feature in official crime prevention campaign

Videos apparently showing quick-thinking young Chinese women fearlessly fighting off suspected thieves, using only their wits and their hands and feet, have become a huge hit among Chinese internet users, mainland media reports

The nation’s Ministry of Public Security tweeted the footage on mainland social media as part of a campaign to teach women how to protect themselves, news portal Qq.com reported.

However, the ministry does not say on its website whether the footage – showing three suspected attempted thefts against women – is genuine and shows real incidents, or whether it was all staged and filmed as part its campaign.

No details of the women featured in the films, or when and where the footage was filmed, is given on the website.

In the first of the three different looping videos posted by the ministry – showing short clips that are continuously repeated – a man in a black jacket is shown trying to grab at an unidentified woman’s white bag on a bus as she focuses on her mobile phone.

However, after the woman, who is only of average build, spots what he is doing, she immediately berates the much larger man and starts to kick at his legs.