If the police see someone robbing after work and need help, can they not help?

The reason for this is the following：

First, it is the legal duty of the people's police to help people in distress:

Article 21 of the People's Police Law of the People's Republic of China stipulates:

When citizens' personal and property safety is violated or they are in other dangerous situations, the people's police shall immediately give assistance.

It is stipulated here that immediate assistance is unconditional. In other words, the people's police have an unconditional obligation to immediately rescue citizens in distress. This is an absolute obligation, and there are no restrictions on whether it is the time of work injury, whether it is on the job, whether it is wearing police uniforms, whether it belongs to its own jurisdiction, and whether it is assigned by the leader. What's more, robbery is a serious criminal offence that infringes on citizens' personal rights and property rights at the same time, which is extremely harmful to citizens' lives and property and has always been the object of severe crackdown by our laws.

Second, it is the legal duty of the people's police to abide by social morality, and it is the requirement of socialist morality to be brave.

Article 20, paragraph 1, item 3 of the People's Police Law of the People's Republic of China stipulates that the people's police must abide by social morality in an exemplary manner.

What is stipulated here is that it must be done, not should be done. It can be seen that the police have made the most stringent requirements for observing social morality, and no exceptions are allowed under any circumstances.

The third paragraph of article 21 of the law also stipulates that the people's police should actively participate in emergency rescue and disaster relief and social welfare undertakings.

As can be seen from the above provisions, it is a legal obligation for an example to abide by social morality, seize disaster relief insurance and participate in social welfare activities, which cannot be avoided.

Helping others and doing good deeds, especially fighting against ongoing crimes, is undoubtedly advocated and encouraged by China's socialist morality, which has long been deeply rooted in people's hearts, and awards and funds for doing good deeds have been set up from the state to the local governments.

The law gives every ordinary citizen this right, and the People's Police Law also gives the police this obligation.