Saitama police set up Japan's first all-female forensics team

I fail to see how an "all female" forensic team is going to help matters.

Women generally feel more comfortable discussing the matter with another woman. Makes perfect sense to me.

Nothing wrong with a female officer interviewing a female victim but an all female team might be just as deficient and narrow minded as an all male team would be.

I would expect and hope this team would make it easier for women to report and discuss sexual assaults and similar crimes and get results without a lot of "Well, why were you at his apartment?" or "Don't you think you could have returned at least some of his affections?" victim-blaming nonsense.

Progressive Saitama.

Glad to see women catching up to their male counterparts.

Can't wait for the inevitable dramatization of this for Japanese TV which will undoubtedly have the title "Pretty ~ ".

Increase female participation in police force to instill more confidence in the mind of women against women specific crimes throughout Japan.

Life imitates art? Jdrama "Higanbana" featured six female leads.

He said more than 500 sex crimes had been reported in Saitama Prefecture each year since 2013.

If you can't find a cure for the illness, then try sweetening the treatment of the symptom.

I wonder if they report to a male......?

Responsibilities of the special forensics unit will be mostly concentrated on cases in which there are female victims who have been subject to sexual and other violent acts.

more than 500 sex crimes

One: does this mean the all-female team will have 500 cases this year? And the all-male teams 0?

Two: If the purpose of forming an all-female team is to allow female victims to talk to female cops, why don't all the forensic units have at least one female member?

"more than 500 sex crimes had been reported in Saitama Prefecture each year since 2013."

WOW!

If by 'forensics' they are referring to examining the victim's body for physical evidence, it of course makes a lot of sense to have only female officers do that, as well as doing the sensitive questioning which necessarily needs to be done. If just talking about examining the crime scene with no victim present, it makes no difference.

If just talking about examining the crime scene with no victim present, it makes no difference.

Well, there's something to be said for a female's perspective, as it will often be different from a male's. That said, it doesn't mean the whole team needs to be female.

To be honest, the article doesn't give enough information. First, what exactly is a forensics unit? What do they do? Do they only examine crime scenes? Or are they responsible for talking to victims and/or other responsibilities? Next, what is the relevance of having an all-female unit? The article makes it seem like there must be some reason behind it, without actually giving that reason. Or is it just that a new unit was created, and all the people on it were coincidentally female?

I know women are more comfortable talking to other women about matters like this, I just hope this team wasn't constructed just because they are women, but because they are qualified.

CS愛 Saitama

@wowyz

"more than 500 sex crimes had been reported in Saitama Prefecture each year since 2013."

WOW!

Imagine how much higher the rate is in Tokyo or Osaka!

Good on the Saitama police for taking the reporting of sex crimes seriously.

When I first heard this I thought it was absurd, but like others have pointed out female victims of sexual assault and DV would be much better off talking to female officers to resolve such issues without some ignorant male officer twisting it around to make it the victim's fault.

Good choice.

Its always morbidly amusing to watch the pendulum swing from a position of unbalance, fly right past the central balanced position, and go straight toward the other extreme of unbalanced, and stop right there; Then listen to the people roar their approval.

Yes, its going to be a great idea. Right up until they mess up. Then when they do and its all over the news and the consensus becomes "women are incompetent" or worse, those that cheered will wonder how this happened.

The separation is probably to help Saitama male officers resist the temptation of committing even more sexual offenses. (just search Google)

One of the few career paths open to female police at a senior level are in the areas of domestic violence and sex crime. It would be nice if it were otherwise but it's not.

@FrancescoB

Yes, its going to be a great idea. Right up until they mess up. Then when they do and its all over the news and the consensus becomes "women are incompetent" or worse, those that cheered will wonder how this happened.

It's not likely that this all-female forensic unit will be responsible for getting a case to trial. In the event that they 'mess up' why would you assume that their part in an investigation would be so significant that it merits media attention ?

Well....I guess it will be nice for the victims when forced to re-enact was has just happened to them blow by blow for notes and photographs to be able to do it with a female officer instead of a male one....?

Honestly - women can be just as obtuse and downright nasty about sexual assault as men. Its not about gender, its about compassion.

They could use a catchy name. How about SAI48?

they can check DNA after getting tea for their male cooworkers

Takako Doi would've liked to see this. The renowned Japanese, male-dominated police force, has finally recognized that women are just as proficient (if not more proficient and prob more effective too) @investigating these types of crimes.

Heheh, is this because the female cops have to be checking their male co-workers for perpetrators?

(How many times have we seen cops in the crime section? And by that, meaning not on the solving end.)

True. They do gossip (two-bit housewives, they do-) . . I still think J-female officers have high standards and will take lots pride in their new assignment.

All female forcenic team , Female ? Petty squabbling and jealously is trademark here in Japan and s big mistake ! Male are more efficient and professional Women are more involved in LOOSE MOUTH and petty competition that's japan ! than male counterparts are more reliable - sorry

Thank you for providing an example of why women are reluctant to report things to male police officers.

If a half of sexual victims are male and a half are female, Saitama might have a half male and a half female officers. Probably male officers disliked and often refused to do suhc duty. In court, they have to testify details that are hard to male officers including female body anatomy. Unless victims are males, kind of hard to normal officers/

why would you assume that their part in an investigation would be so significant that it merits media attention ?

For the same reason they are getting media attention now.

Do you know of any other forensic units in Japan? I didn't think so. This one is being paraded in front of us for all the wrong reasons.