The public tends to rely on the police to resolve all kinds of issues, including domestic matters, and more discussion between the police and the public is needed to determine police responsibilities, National Police Agency chief Setsuo Tanaka said Friday.
The extent to which the police should be involved will be an important and difficult issue in the 21st century, Tanaka said in a speech delivered at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo.
"The most important thing is to build trust between the police and the public," he said. "The abilities of the family, schools and local communities to solve their own problems have decreased, and the public now asks the police to handle them.
"But police are used to staying out of civilian affairs, and that's why officers at the front line have been confused."
Tanaka cited a case in Saitama Prefecture in which a female university student was murdered after police officers ignored her pleas for help in a stalking episode.
According to the NPA, about 343,700 cases of problems that required police consultation were reported nationwide last year; that number had already exceeded 300,000 by June this year.
Tanaka said he hopes families, schools and communities are able to regain their capability to resolve their own problems, as there are many problems that need attention.
He said the police organization is now struggling under an interim reform guideline compiled last summer in response to numerous police scandals.
He asked for the understanding of the public.
Asked why the inspection of police forces was entrusted to public safety commissions and not to an independent body, Tanaka said, "Police work is closely connected with crime investigation, and only those who are familiar with police work can do so."