08-20-2013, 10:39 AM
quote:
Originally posted by afwjam
... Japan had the most impressive police, but having police like that would take a cultural shift.
Also like the police box concept in Japan: cheap (literally a pre-fab box), simple, part of the community. They don't spend millions of dollars on a shiny, high-tech station then short-staff the number of policemen on patrol. (Versus Pahoa spending a boatload of money on a new station but continuing to woefully understaff the police force.)
But there's a "dark side"--and you're right that the Japanese system wouldn't transfer well to our culture. The system in Japan is built on a collectivist, authoritarian, Confucian value system that puts the good of the group above individual rights, a Libertarian's nightmare for sure. Japanese policemen can hold suspects for a very long time (3 weeks last I checked) without bringing formal charges. (Note the legal system in Japan is not about protecting individual rights; rather, it's about mediating social harmony.)
Still, I'd like to think that we could learn lessons from other cultures. But the will on our insular island doesn't seem to be there. Hopefully one day things will change for the better.
Tim
A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions--Confucius
A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions--Confucius