Drunk police officer arrested for intruding in store

The problem appears to be that Japanese police culture is inadequate to the task of caring for itself on an emotional level. That has not been its function. The function for police culture has been to protect and serve the citizens and property of the community. There is an emotional price to be paid for individuals who take to that task, personally, socially, and professionally. Until the Japanese police culture recognizes that reality with heavy training, and learns to destigmatize the expression of emotions through continued education, police officers are going to keep having problems at a rate much higher than the rest of us.

I never get cravings for organic food when I'm drunk!

I didn't think trespass was a criminal offence. At least it isn't in common law countries.

Didn't know we had an organic food store in Yokosuka and I've been here since 1976. b. Drinking after a long shift is not unusual...unless you don't drink.

You've tarnished those uniform dude.

Not really. Police work over 24 hour shifts, usually closer to 30. As they start early in the morning, that would put the end of their shift sometime early afternoon. Having a few drinks after a long shift is understandable.

having a few drinks at 4:30 is understandable

being drunk isnt

The number of policemen behaving badly stories recently warrants some kind of comprehensive review of the NPA by an external agency. But as with nearly all aspects of the NPA all monitoring is done in-house. A case of the blind-drunk leading the blind-drunk that is extremely dangerous and irresponsible.

Hard Monday for the Police PR department. One murder suicide, one fatal auto accident with children involved and one bumbling officer wanting free range eggs.

They should now keep the cops confined to kobans even when off duty!

Sakai’s behavior was unacceptable for a police officer.

You think? The motto of Japanese police, 'To protect and serve yourself!'

We don't know the reason he entered the shop by the back door. Let's say he had a bad case of needing a place to "go". Being drunk often can often lead to an emergency of sorts.

I'm not saying that 30 hour shifts excuses his behaviour, I'm saying that there is nothing wrong with being drunk at 4:30pm if you just got off a 30 hour shift a few hours previous. The poster I was replying to seemed to be insinuationing that there was a problem with his being drunk at this time of day.

There are not enough cops, which is probably why some losers get through the net.

Maybe Watanabe and Inose can share some of that honest earned pile of cash they sit on and chip in? WTF do they work 30-hour shifts? And who came up with that idea? I know the Japanese solution is to throw more hours at any given problem but this doesn't sound very sustainable. Even a 12-hour shift sounds too long.

There are more than enough cops in Japan and they work 12 hour shifts in my area.

My daughter and sil are both officers and I know for a fact that young recruits and those on koban duty do 30-hour shifts. After promotion sil is now on basically 9-5, 5 days a week, but he still has to do his share of night duty (following a full day on duty) and weekend duty.

There are not enough cops, which is probably why some losers get through the net.

Not really. Police work over 24 hour shifts, usually closer to 30. As they start early in the morning, that would put the end of their shift sometime early afternoon. Having a few drinks after a long shift is understandable.

I would be if they could handle their drinking like grown men instead of like spotty-faced adolescents. Come to think of it, I don't think it's that appropriate for an officer of the law to work 24 hour shifts, much less going out on a bender afterwards.

You forgot to report "that he remembers nothing because he was drunk" and therefore will get off without any charges.

StrangerlandApr. 14, 2014 - 08:53AM JST Not really. Police work over 24 hour shifts, usually closer to 30. As they start early in the morning, that would put the end of their shift sometime early afternoon. Having a few drinks after a long shift is understandable.

Police in some countries maybe. In my area of Japan, no. There are more than enough cops in Japan and they work 12 hour shifts in my area. I live just down the road from the local police headquarters so I've had plenty of chances to watch the shift changes over the years. The day shift goes at at 7am (after the morning meeting) and comes back in at 5pm (and again has a meeting for about an hour). The night shift seems smaller and seems to mostly stick to the koban with about half the patrol cars staying at the police headquarters.

@Strangerland

Having a few drinks after a long shift is understandable

There's a significant difference between having a "few" drinks and getting so wasted that you go out and commit crimes as well as being a public nuisance. As a public servant, he needs to maintain a clean upstanding image. Getting wasted during hours when most people are awake and carrying out their normal daily routines does not show good citizenship. Even off duty, he has the duty to maintain and obey the laws.

Anti-social, drunken behaviour from a J-cop? Wow - there's a shock!

Having a few drinks may be understandable but busting into a shop certainly isn't. Somehow I doubt he will be charged like a regular person would be in this situation. A couple 申し訳ございませんs ought to get him off the hook and keep his job.

Drunk at 4:30pm

nuff said

Not really. Police work over 24 hour shifts, usually closer to 30. As they start early in the morning, that would put the end of their shift sometime early afternoon. Having a few drinks after a long shift is understandable.

I knew a woman (in Yokosuka too) once who told me that she had a "boyfriend" who was a J-Cop. She met him due to the fact that he was one of the officers responding to her home because of her "screwed up" son. A few days after the call, this cop called her up and started to press her to go out with him, which after repeated contact she did. Knowing full well that the cop was married. So I guess he was pretty sure that knowing the lay of the land, this woman would not press back against his pressure and report him so he comes and goes as he pleases. Too bad a cop like that one and this one screw up the image of all the J-cops.

Drunk at 4:30pm

nuff said

"Drunk police officer arrested for intruding in store"

Unauthorized, unlawful entering... "behavior was unacceptable for a police officer"

"He was quoted by police as saying he had been out drinking with a friend after going off duty"...legal excuse?

hmm...

Sakai’s behavior was unacceptable for a police officer

I'm beginning to think that this is pretty typical behavior for a police officer. How many stories have we seen about the JPolice committing illegal acts because they were drunk? With cops like these, who needs criminals? The whole Japanese police department needs to be shook down IMO.

Was he looking for some tidbits?

"Behavior was unacceptable for a police officer". And what will happen to him for TRESPASSING?