Two murders in Nagasaki Prefecture in December 2011 show that the police are ineffective in preventing stalking-related crime. Police nationwide need to improve their methods for deterring stalkers, including how and when to share information with different police units. They should not forget that a stalker may attack relatives in addition to the targeted person.
A 27-year-old man from Kuwana, Mie Prefecture, was arrested on Dec. 17 on suspicion of murdering a 56-year-old woman and a 77-year-old woman in Saikai, Nagasaki Prefecture, the day before. The victims turned out to be the mother and grandmother of a 27-year-old woman whom the suspect, Gota Tsutsui, had repeatedly stalked. She had lived in Chiba Prefecture but returned to Nagasaki Prefecture in late October.
Since Tsutsui repeatedly acted violently toward her, stalked her and sent her threatening e-mail, her father consulted with the Nagasaki, Chiba and Mie prefectural police. On Dec. 12, she and her father visited the Narashino police station in Chiba Prefecture and submitted a report on injuries she had received from Tsutsui. On Dec. 14, the Chiba prefectural police started a criminal investigation. By that time, the police had questioned Tsutsui on a voluntary basis and issued a warning three times without taking him into custody.