How is the police in Japan? and your countries?
 

They're pretty bad ass. With their preppy uniforms and their shiny cars.

I'll throw in a picture:




Yeah, they are very efficient, especially when they have to deal with angry students in the middle of a demonstration.

(in Japan)

it's hard to tell how good the police are cuz hardly any crime happens, they drive around all the time with their lights on not really doing anything...

every now and then when someone calls it's like a flock of bored cops come rushing to the scene along with all the news cameras ><

Well, i can't speak for the U.S. as a whole, but i can speak for my state police, municiple and district police of my town, they take their job to heart and are very strict. Crimes only occur when we have newcomers or wannabe badasses.

Here in Japan I have pretty major issues with policing and the justice system as a whole. In the vast majority of cases when investigating a crime very little physical or forensic evidence is used to gain convictions. The police still very much rely on confessions for convictions. Without a confession often cases won't go to court. The system is set up to allow police plenty of time to extract their confessions though. You can be held up to 21 days without being charged and in that time you will have frequent interrorgations and you have no right to have a lawyer present during them. They are also not recorded in any way. It is obviously a practice that is open to abuse by the police to force confessions from people and there have been plenty of cases where people have been wrongly convicted after forced confessions. There are numerous law groups in Japan (and elsewhere) attempting to change these procedures but the police here appear to have quite a bit of power.

I just learned an awful lot about the police where I live from you.
A lot of that is judicial stuff though.

In day to day life police has had no part of my life since I came to japan, other than asking for directions in the police boxes now and then. But back home police would stop me quite often for stupid nonsense...

Just don't get accused of anything and you'll probably never have a problem with the police here ;)
Get accused of something and your Japanese experience could turn into a nightmare rather quickly...

I'm sure they're much less violent than these guys used to be under Franco!:D

I didn't say violent, I said efficient. I'm not against violent ways used as last resort, but they tend to go a bit loose on their nightstick.

Never implied you saying violent,;) ,but I remember the Benemerita keeping the peace through intimidation and brutal repression.... things were much different then....

Do they still have Policia Nacional (the brown uniformed guys) in Catalunya, or in Spain for that matter? Has the jurisdiction system changed? Last time I set foot on Spanish soil was in 1990, so I know many things have changed....

Nah it's nothing like it used to be during the dictatorship. We don't have the same police as the rest of the country. Spanish police is called "Guardia civil" but there's very few of those around here in Catalonia. We have our own police brigade, just like Scotland has its own, for instance, and they're called "Mossos d'Esquadra" as you can see in the picture. I have never seen brown-uniformed guys, that must've been a long time ago. But yeah, times have changed, since we became a democratic state police can't abuse their power like they used to.

Whereabouts in Spain have you been?

well...police men here are big. i haven't seen a police man who was under 100 kg. :cool: not to say fat but just broad shoulders and tall like 6+ feet. like club security guys. you don't really want to argue with them.. :cool:
on the other hand we hare have a saying - "a guy becomes a real man only when he is over 100 kg"
not to mention alfa squad from riot division. when those guys came out when there was a riot - holy s**t :cool:

I was born in Madrid and lived there from 1965-1986.... Left to the USAF in Japan and stopped by my parents home in 1990 while on leave.... That was the last time I was there....

Been pretty much everywhere there... Last time I was in Barcelona, the Olympics were still 15 years away and the seaside area was very ugly and undeveloped....My what an Olympics can do....

haha true. I don't remember what it was like back then before the Olympics cause I was ver little, but I've seen picture and it's like a whole different place.

So, Madrid huh... Are you a Real Madrid supprter? Cause if you are, I'm afraid our conversation ends here. :cool:

Now I'm curious as to why someone born in Spain would wanna join the US air force.

Well, yes, I'm from Spain, born and raised, but I'm not Spanish, even though I was born in a Spanish hospital.

To sum it up as short as possible:
My mother was born in the Philippines before the Japanese invaded. My grandfather was the director of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (a Spanish bank) in Manila and was sent to Cebu City. Once the war was over, the family packed up and moved back to Spain (Donostia).

My father was born in Butte, Montana and joined the Air Force during the Korean War. He was stationed in Germany, then Libya, Morocco and finally the new AB in Torrejon, Spain.

They met at the base, since she got a job there because so few people spoke English, they hired her because she was raised with English in the P.I. They got married and had three kids. I have U.S. citizenship from birth, so that's how I can join the USAF. The rest of my family on my mother's side is Spanish, totally, since all my aunts and uncle changed their citizenship from Filipino to Spanish the minute they got back to Spain.

My name in Spain (under their naming system) would be Juan Braden Sainz Moyle Ascasibar....totally Basque....I lived downtown Madrid and grew up feeling more Spanish than American.

And while I am a fan of Real Madrid and remember going as a kid to the Santiago Bernabeu many times to watch games and eat "pipas", I am not as fervent a fan as my brother. I have no enemosity, even sports-related to el Barca and its fans....:mtongue:

Being from Baltimore, the cops there are ruthless. Having one of the highest murder rates (if not the highest; I know it's held the title before) in the entire US, most cops take a "shoot first, ask questions later" approach to their job.
Even my public school was like a jail. We had metal detectors at the doors, police with mace and firearms patrolled the school, and we weren't allowed to have backpacks or heavy coats to help to try and cut down on concealed weaponry.
The police force is stacked and ready to cut people down if need be.

The police in my country is divided in three polices "Polícia Militar"(Military Police) takes care of patrol and security of the streets, "Polícia Civil" (Civil Police) takes care of solve murders, do investigative work and sometimes they act in the security too with the Military Police. Military Police and Civil Police are controlled by the power of your corresponding states. The last is the "Polícia Federal" (Federal Police)responsable to take care of imigration, terrorism, international investigative works (international contraband of guns, drugs... ) and borders patrol.

It is very interesting that you have written about this. My Japanese friend belongs to Amnesty International and she along with others fights for justice for those wrongly accused in Japan

Richmond, California, USA; Oakland, California, USA: I live very close to these areas.

Generally, the police here are fairly professional. There are some officers that I found that were friendly and polite, and there were some that weren't. When they're doing business, naturally, they can be quite straightforward, in which cases, it can be difficult to judge their personalities.

As far as response speed goes... I would say usually around 2-4 minutes. But I wouldn't stick to that number confidently.

In terms of treating people... it depends on whether you're the suspect or not. Again, I live close to some rough neighborhoods; I know people from these areas; I've have some experience in these areas. People here would have you believe the police are ruthless and corrupt -- and maybe some are -- I don't deny that at all. But, here, I've never truly fallen for the street rebel-versus-conformist mentality. Many people here are not well educated and don't understand some of the police protocol. They get offended when asked to step back or show their hands. They shout abuse when someone is wrestled to the ground. And many don't realize, when you simply refuse to follow directions, especially when it regards officer or citizen safety, you can be put in handcuffs.

At Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil... We have BOPE "special forces", when the police can not arrest the criminal usually they call the BOPE and the criminal is killed.

Just following on from my previous comments. We've all probably heard of the incredibly high conviction rates in Japan. On the face of it it may appear rather impressive having a conviction rate of 99%. You may think the police are incredibly good at their jobs able to put forth such amazingly convincing cases in court to secure the conviction. Nothing could be further from the truth. Basically if police are unable to extract a confession in the lenghty time they have to get it then a most of cases won't actually make it to court. Most court cases here are only after a confession has been secured. So basically the accused has admitted guilt and there is no real trial as such there is only a hearing to work out sentencing. It's one of the reasons why jury trials have basically been superfulous here because there is rarely a long process of weighing up the evidence.

So there is great pressure on the police from prosecuters to get the confession. Supposedly even one lost case can destroy a prosecutors career. Because why did they bring the case to court if they weren't sure they would win? To have done so shows very poorly on the prosecutor. So the whole process becomes open to corruption. The system here does not start with a presumption of innocence. In fact if the police have brought you in for interrorgation then you are pretty much assumed guilty and it's just a waiting game till you crack and confess.

I haven't had much experience with the police in the UK, but here, the police are split in terms of region (e.g. Tayside Police in Tayside and Angus, Grampian Police in Grampian and Aberdeen etc.). There are a few TV programmes which follow the police on their daily pursuits (not 'pursuits' as in car chases. 'Pursuits' as in day-to-day activities, you understand), and while the police may seem helpful, and they are just doing their job, they do earn a fair deal of hate. An example is during the student protests, which threatened to turn into riots. One 20-year-old was beaten over the head by a policeman and his batton, causing a life-threatening head injury. This earned the police a bad name. But it works the other way round too. During the UEFA cup final in Manchester, the Rangers fans rioted and there was a clip of a policeman stumbling and falling backwards, then a gang of about 15-20 Rangers fans surrounded & kicked the fallen policeman.

Pic of the police:



EDIT: P.S. - @yuko81 - If only. A lot of people would be commiting crimes every day just to be repremanded by them. lol

I can speak about the police in the city of Philadelphia, Pa. I used to live there for a year and half, they had a pretty bad rep and nicknamed "body-baggers", wait for the heat to calm and then asses the scene, but in philly the murder rate is especially high. Then again not all police are the same, some take their job to heart and actually go by the book, but you do t=have some who stray. But in a small town like the one i live in now, is peaceful only a few upsets a year.

Nice life story! I could make that into a movie script! Very nice :)

Seeing your background, it all makes sense now. It's just so cool to find someone on here who knows stuff like this. I mean, I never thought I'd live enough to see the term "Basque" written in one post from this forums. As for you being a fan of R. Madrid... well, I'll let you off the hook cause it was a long time ago and I know for sure that, as of now, if you still watched them play, you'd feel ashamed and would wanna get back every signle cent you spent on going to their games ;)

I wonder what would happen if you dropped a unit of japanese police in the middle of watts or compton. How many days (or even hours) until they are eaten alive?

Police in my country is divided into three political Policia Militar charge of patrol and security in the streets, "Policia Civil takes care to solve the murders, are investigative work and sometimes they act as security with police military. Military and civilian police are controlled by the power of your corresponding states. The latter is the Policia Federal responsibility to take care of emigration, terrorism, international exploration.

Well here you can't trust the police. A lot of them are in the side of the drug dealers. They are good for nothing, and if a shooting starts (they are pretty common here) they are the last ones to arrive, and of course when all the criminals got away.

We can only trust the army.

I see you're an avid fan so I will not get into an argument with you!;) Yeah, I can say I've been fortunate to have the upbringing I had. It gives me a different view of things. As for the Basque heritage, please don't think I'm with Herri Batasuna or ETA.... Yes, I have the Basque ANeg blood coursing through my veins, but if I were there, they'd think I was an American because I look nothing like a Spaniard. I still freak people out here when I speak Castellano!:eek:

From Belgium...
Meh... useless...

They came 15 minutes later after phone, they arrest good citizens in out-hours and they let pass all infractions while work-hour (7h00->9h00 / 15h00->17h00)
They are also scary of strangers...

It's nice to hear from Japan as the police is way much better ;)

I really thank everybody posted here..........:)

Thank you guys:)

I will return soon to post more.......

Here in Sudan (that being governed by military oppressive criminal governemnt

headed by Omer Al-Bashir) the police troops are just an

oppressive tool to suppress the freedoms,the opposition & the peaceful

demonstrations!!!!!!

The police in Sudan has lost its independence, it became at the disposal of

the governing party (the national congress party)!!!!!!

Most of the Sudanese policemen are heartless & rude people that don't treat

the citizens & the people in a kind & gentle manner.......

Even if you went to them seeking help,probably you wouldn't find a gentle

treating,quick response & effective service!!!

I can tell you about the Seattle area...
The cops here tend to take advantage of their power.
A few months ago a woodcarver was shot and killed. The man was not facing the police, and couldn't hear them- he had his headphones in! The man hadn't threatened anyone with the knife, was not doing anything illegal...
And that's just one example.
I've seen police turn on their sirens and lights just to get ahead of traffic.

Police here seem to do their jobs right, but someimes they just folllow one person,waiting for them to mess up. Sometimes hey stay in one spot or the same reason.

Ir could beworse...

I personally have not had any confrontations with our police.

I was brought up to respect them.

No doubt much must depend on various circumstances.

when I see programmes where the police are involved-- such as the recent student protests-- I thought the Police had a very difficult task keeping control. I dislike this "KETTLING" that I hear of where crowds are forced into a specific area and not allowed out. That can end in disaster.

Times surely are changing.


They have to deal with drunks who have been binge drinking and totally out of control. Not an easy job.

what I really dislike is the recent use of using TAZER guns to immobilize someone they want to arrest or STOP from some criminal activity.


chasing stolen cars. I think that in itself causes Accidents and often the thief takes a car for the fun of the chase.


I do believe that here in UK we are tending to follow some American ways of policing in some circumstances.


pepper spray?!!


ever since 9/11 the terrorist threat has changed much of the police activities I am sure.

making raids on suspects homes etc.

The border agency does raids on premises where illegal immigrants are working.


Obviously there must be lots I do not know about but I still like to see a policeman on the streets.


we do have a lot of CTV cameras that watch our every move.

Umm that seems really awful.

But to KILL HIM?!! What was he supposed to have done?

I did wonder why you were asking the question.


It sounds bad to me. are you yourself or your family OKAY?

By the way....

I would like to show you some examples of the brutality & the oppression of

the Sudanese police......

The nearest example is from yesterday.......the Sudanese criminal police

suppressed a peaceful procession for an opposition party (the Umma

party) , also the police troops assaulted & hit many of the party members

brutally.........in this link you can see some photos for the innocent

victims:

http://www.sudaneseonline.com/cgi-bi...msg=1293239279



hereunder you can find further details about this criminal incidence:

Sudanese police beat, gas opposition: party officials | Reuters

Allvoices.com - External Link

our police did the same but now it's over. they all have gps and counters in their cars. at the end of the day they basically have to write a report explaining why they used the siren.
i think it was due to some nasty accidents that occurred with police rushing with roofs blazing thou they were not dispatched at the time.