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Nine police officers from Hyogo Prefecture have been referred to public prosecutors for alleged involvement in illegal online casino gaming. The police from Hyogo Prefecture took firm action on Monday by imposing fines and suspending the officers for a period of six months for involvement in the illegal act during their free time while being police officers. Still, they ignored their code of conduct as police officers.
Description of Gambling Activities
It has been found through investigative sources that these police officers accessed those online casinos via personal devices, such as smartphones. Among these, six of them belonged to the same police organization, which shows that there has been an incident of similar activities among those in a particular unit. In this respect, it has been found through an investigative source that this particular high-ranking officer in his 20s had accessed this particular site again and again between last December and this June. He had placed bets over 3,000 times, and this had led to cumulative expenses of over ¥5 million. This officer had found this particular site through another officer in his 20s.
The other three officers worked out of different units in the organization. The first participant was a senior officer in his 30s and was working in the criminal investigation bureau at the police headquarters in Kobe, which was the provincial capital. From this study, this incident illustrates how the officers took part in the prohibited activity while working in an investigative role.
Additional Disciplinary Actions
In a related incident, the force also penalized nine other male policemen for other offenses carried out during their working hours. These included an inspector in his 40s working at headquarters for drinking alcohol and playing pachinko pinball during working hours. Penalties in the form of suspension of working hours for six months had been given to their immediate superior officers, showing that the force had demonstrated its efforts to discipline up to the highest level of command.
One Officer’s Regret
However, amongst the police officers who conducted the investigation, there was one who expressed regret for what he did. This officer realized that he ought to have known the illegality of online gambling on the casino sites prior to engaging in the process. Examining the perspective of this officer allows establishing the point that he acknowledges the illegality of such acts in Japan, which forbids such acts but allows easy access through the internet.
Adherence to Ethical Principles
Koichi Tsuchiyama, the head of the inspection office for the police department, commented generally on how these incidents were a problem for the department. It was a serious problem, as there had been a number of police officers disciplined for misconduct in such a short period. The answer to this problem, from the department, is to strengthen training for work ethics for all officers.
Strengthening Internal Oversight
The concentration of cases at one police station and the participation of various ranks of police officers who were implicated indicate some deep-seated problems that require further attention. Through referring cases to prosecutors, the Hyogo police allow an impartial review of the circumstances while taking swift action against offenders. Through his promise of increased learning, Tsuchiyama indicates an aggressive approach that seeks to encourage officers to be more responsible, given their duty to prioritize the rule of law above all other factors.
Source: The Japan Times
