A Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department panel said Monday that parental cooperation is important in preventing schoolchildren from getting involved in crime, especially after school.
The panel surveyed incidents investigated by five police stations in Tokyo over a 3½-year period from January 2014 and found that among the weekday cases, 131 happened after school, versus 81 that took place on the way to or from school.
The incidents often occurred in common areas at condominiums or on the street, the survey showed.
In its proposal, the seven-member panel said it is crucial to strengthen preventive steps, particularly in places like parks and commercial facilities.
It also looked into about 6,000 indecent assaults from the past five years and about 18,000 cases of voyeurism and stalking from the past three years to study ways of preventing incidents related to women from occurring. It found that most of the victims were 29 or younger.
The psychology and legal experts on the panel said it is necessary to set up a system that allows female victims to consult the police without hesitation.
The panel started discussions last December and presented its proposals to the Metropolitan Police Department’s assistant commissioner, Satoru Shimane, on Monday.
