A Watchful Eye
The watchful eye of the a Police Box in Japan. This is something I
wish we had in the states. Every so many blocks or miles or whatever
here in Japan, you will find a small building (some smaller than the
one pictured) housing a helpful police officer. Be it help with
directions, or help of a more serious nature, help is there. Or at
least it seems that way so far.
NOTE: Well that's weird. This was supposed to have been an "image" type, not a blog type. Why does this matter you may ask? Well it's because the "image" type creates a thumbnail and preview version of the image, which is smaller than the original. This gives you only the original, which is 3mb... I'll fix it when I'm not in japan
| Attachment | Size |
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| dsc04025.jpg | 3 MB |
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I think it used to be like that in England too - not the booths, but friendly helpful cops on every street corner.
Vered's last blog post..Will You Tell Me A Little Bit About Yourself?
In downtown Ottawa, the cops actually walk the beat. And in the Summer months they ride around on bicycles. Head out into the 'burbs though, and nary a cop to be found.
Urban Panther's last blog post..I am a twit
Where I live I like the the helpful watch of the police eye. The cop shop is like four houses down. I wish they would walk around the neighborhood.
Ellen Wilson's last blog post..The Disappearing Barns of the Midwest
Hi Hyrcan,
That's a great idea. It probably helps keep the crime rate down, too.
Barbara Swafford's last blog post..Charity Starts At Home
Hi Hyrcan,
This makes me think of college campuses that have "security boxes" all over campus, so you can call if you feel creeped out and an officer (may be campus security, not police) will walk you home if it's late at night, or help with whatever you need. I'd like this here, too.
I hope you're having a fabulous trip! Safe journey.
Linda Abbit's last blog post..Funny Fridays: Because It Is Better to Laugh than to Cry!
@Vered: A actively visible police force is nice, you get to know them, you know they are around, people can feel safer. It's amazing how wrong we get it here in the states. We have to levels of policing, nearly non-existent, or a police state.
@Urban Panther: Here in DC we have a few bike cops, most of them roll around in their cruisers with the lights on, not on a call, just on because it "makes them more visible." It also makes it hard for people to know when they are getting pulled over or not, which makes the cops more aggravated when they pull someone over. That's MPDC (DC cops)... have to specify be cause there are (I kid you not) over 25 different Law enforcement agencies in the District of Columbia...all 177 square kilometre of it (for you americans that's 68.3 square miles).
@Ellen: It's amazing how little things, like walking around places, just being accessible, or at the very least visible can make things feel safer. I say feel, because well. It won't prevent crime from happening entirely, but it certainly cuts down on it.
@Barbara: I'm sure it does play a factor...
From a 1998 source:
Murders per 100,000.
United States 6.32 (second behind Russia)
Japan 0.58
Robbery/Violent Theft per 100,000.
United States 169.02 (second behind Spain)
Japan 2.71
Rape per 100,000.
United States 34.20 (top of the chart)
Japan 1.48
Serious Assault per 100,000.
United States 357.94 (third place)
Japan 15.40
Of course there's a lot of other variables besides having a highly visible and accessible police force...
@Linda: It is very much like those boxes, which they also have in places. They also help with other things too, they kinda act as an information booth to some existent as well. Not exactly giving out maps of walking tours, but if you're trying to find a place they are always happy to point you the right direction...no matter if you're a confused looking tourist or a lost looking local.
Thanks, I had a fabulous trip, not problems at all, and got to see some great sights, along with catching up with a friend who lives there.
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