OSAKA - Police forces across Japan are struggling to recruit enough officers, with the number of people taking police recruitment examinations falling to less than half the level of a decade ago and concerns growing that persistent staffing shortages could eventually affect public safety.
Police work has long been portrayed in movies and television dramas as a heroic profession protecting local communities, but recruitment officials say perceptions that the job is dangerous and physically demanding are discouraging potential applicants.
"The number of applicants has fallen to less than half what it was 10 years ago," an official responsible for recruitment at the Nara Prefectural Police said.
Nationwide, the decline has been even more pronounced over the longer term. Applicant numbers peaked around 2003 and have since fallen to roughly one-fifth of that level.
Data released by the National Police Agency last week showed that the number of people taking police officer recruitment examinations nationwide last year was less than half the figure recorded 10 years earlier.
The shortage is also beginning to show in actual staffing levels. The Metropolitan Police Department, which covers Tokyo, has filled only about 93% of its authorized officer positions this year, compared with a nationwide average staffing level of 97.1%.
Police departments are responding with more aggressive recruitment campaigns. In Hyogo Prefecture, a three-day work-experience program drew 35 university students and other job seekers, allowing participants to try activities modeled on actual investigations, including collecting fingerprints and other traces left at a simulated crime scene.
Hyogo police officials said they want to continue reaching people who may not previously have considered policing as a career and encourage them to add the profession to their employment options.
A former Hyogo Prefectural Police criminal investigation chief warned that shortages would inevitably place pressure on police operations. Police cannot simply close a police box or decide to abandon a criminal investigation because there are not enough officers, he said, making recruitment a serious operational challenge.
Potential applicants interviewed about the profession cited concerns over danger and physical demands. One person said the prospect of confronting frightening or violent people was intimidating, while another said chasing suspects appeared exhausting.
The daily reality of the job was illustrated at the police box in front of Kintetsu Nara Station, an area near Nara Park that receives large numbers of tourists.
Four officers were assigned to the police box on the day observed. Three were working a 24-hour shift from 9:30 a.m. until 9:30 a.m. the following day, while one officer was on a daytime shift ending shortly after 5 p.m.
Among them was patrol officer Rintaro Horimoto, in his third year on the force. Horimoto said he decided to become a police officer after receiving considerable help when he moved to Nara and wanting to find a way to give something back to the community.
His morning included responding to reports of lost property and helping search for an elderly person who had disappeared from a day-care facility.
In the afternoon, Horimoto went on neighborhood patrols, listening to residents' concerns and providing crime-prevention information, including advising people to call emergency number 110 or contact Nara police if they noticed anything suspicious.
Shortly after 3 p.m., he was dispatched to a convenience store following a report of illicit filming. The victim was an overseas tourist, requiring Horimoto to conduct the interview through a translation application while taking care to consider the emotional impact on the person involved.
After handing the case to another officer, Horimoto hurried to another location in response to a report of a stolen bicycle. When he arrived, the bicycle was beside the person who had reported it missing. The person acknowledged having consumed alcohol and simply forgotten where the bicycle had been left.
Horimoto said the work is physically demanding but that expressions of gratitude from members of the public give him a sense that he is contributing to the community. Asked whether he was glad he had become a police officer, he said he was.
His shift ended shortly after 5 p.m., while the three officers assigned to the 24-hour shift continued working through the night. Horimoto returned the following morning to begin a 24-hour shift of his own.
Nara police recruitment officials said images of policing as an especially harsh profession may be discouraging people from even applying, although they emphasized that the work also offers a strong sense of purpose and achievement.
Police organizations nationwide are reviewing the way police academies operate and strengthening mid-career recruitment as part of efforts to broaden the pool of potential officers.
Some prefectural police departments are also experimenting with new approaches. Shiga Prefectural Police has used social media to present policing in a more approachable way and highlight the range of possible working styles, helping increase its number of applicants by about 50%.
Recruitment efforts have also included posters produced by a popular manga artist from the prefecture.
The former Hyogo police official, who said he himself became interested in policing after watching television detective dramas, said social media could play a similar role for a younger generation by showing both the challenges and the appeal of police work.
He said policing inevitably includes difficult and demanding situations, but also offers pride, purpose and the opportunity to serve society, making it a profession worth considering despite its demanding image.
Source: KTV NEWS
