社説：犯罪白書 「規範意識」が低下した

(Mainichi Japan) November 19, 2009
社説：犯罪白書　「規範意識」が低下した

Crime report suggests people's law-abiding spirit has declined
A knifing rampage, in which a man rammed a truck into a crowded intersection in Tokyo's Akihabara district in June last year and then stabbed pedestrians, leaving seven people dead and 10 injured, is still fresh in people's memories.
　昨年６月の白昼、休日の買い物客でにぎわう東京・秋葉原の交差点に男がトラックで突っ込み、次々と人々をナイフで刺し、７人が死亡、１０人が負傷した通り魔事件は、今も記憶に新しい。

The government's while (white?) paper on crime released recently, which details the trends of crimes in 2008, shows that there were 14 cases of random attacks, including the Akihabara incident. The figure is far above the three cases in 2004, six in 2005, four in 2006, and eight in 2007.
　０８年の犯罪動向をまとめた今年の犯罪白書によると、凶器を使って人を無差別に殺傷する通り魔事件が、秋葉原事件を含め１４件起きている。０４年以後０７年までの４年間が各３、６、４、８件だから、データは少ないものの急増ぶりが目立つ。

In a related development, the National Police Agency (NPA) has reported that the number of cases of robbery, business break-ins and bag-snatching has been growing since the beginning of this year. NPA officials believe that this trend is attributable partly to the economic downturn and the worsening of the employment situation following the collapse of U.S. financial giant Lehman Brothers in September last year.
　一方、警察庁によると、今年に入り強盗や事務所荒らし、ひったくりが増加している。昨年９月のリーマン・ショック以後の経済・雇用情勢の悪化と一定の関連性があるとみている。

When asked about the motives for his crime, the defendant in the Akihabara case remarked, "I was sick and tired of living." He had moved from area to area as a temporary worker. His remark illustrates the tough social situation of today, in which the economic downturn has triggered heinous crimes.
秋葉原事件の被告は、派遣社員として各地を転々とし、動機を「人生のうっぷんが出てきて嫌になった」と供述した。経済の行き詰まりが凶悪事件に結びつく昨今の殺伐とした世相が浮かび上がってくる。

The arrest rate shown by the white paper has raised some concerns. During the post-war period of the Showa Era, the arrest rate, excluding that for traffic accidents, had stood above 50 percent. It had declined to 19.8 percent by 2001, but turned upward to reach 31.8 percent in 2007. However, it fell 0.2 of a point last year to 31.6 percent.
　白書の数字では、検挙率が気にかかる。交通事故を除く刑法犯で、昭和時代（戦後）は５０％を超えていた。それが０１年に１９・８％まで下落し、その後右肩上がりに回復して０７年は３１・８％だったが、昨年わずか（０・２ポイント）とはいえ低下したのだ。

Tatsuya Ichihashi, who had been wanted by police in connection with the slaying of a British English teacher, was recently arrested after spending two years and seven months as a fugitive. Information provided by a cosmetic clinic that conducted plastic surgery on him led to his arrest. This has raised questions primarily about the police's investigation abilities, but also demonstrated that it is difficult for the police alone to raise the arrest rate and maintain law and order as crimes have diversified.
　英国人女性の死体遺棄容疑で指名手配中だった市橋達也容疑者が２年７カ月の逃亡の末、民間からの通報を元に逮捕された。もちろん警察の捜査能力が第一に問われるが、犯罪の多様化が進み、警察の力だけで検挙率を高め、治安を保つのが難しいことを象徴するできごとだ。

Police are required to rely on citizens to a certain extent in their efforts to maintain law and order and apprehend crime suspects.
　どう民間の力を生かすか。

In a speech at the Japan National Press Club on Nov. 6, NPA Commissioner General Takaharu Ando expressed concern that a decline in the public's law-abiding spirit and loosening social bonds has contributed to the increase in crimes. "It appears that Japanese people's high law-abiding spirit and social bonds such as those in schools and regional communities, which had supported the country's high standards of public order, are declining."
In his speech, the police chief lamented the decline in law-abiding spirit particularly among teenagers and their parents, citing examples he heard from officers across the country.
安藤隆春警察庁長官は今月６日、日本記者クラブの講演で「日本の良好な治安を支えてきた国民の高い規範意識と、学校や地域などの共同体の存在感が共に低下しているのではないか」と懸念を示した。
各地の少年補導員に聞いたとして長官が披露した話を一部紹介したい。

Many teenagers caught shoplifting say, "Others do the same thing. What's wrong?" Many of them are isolated in their families and at school and some of them do not even know the age and occupation of their parents or their own address.
　最近の非行少年は、万引きをしても「皆がやっているのに、何で悪いのか」という反応が返ってくる。家庭や学校に居場所がなく、親の年齢や職業、自分の住所さえ知らない。

Some parents of shoplifting minors complain to shops that reported the incidents to police saying, "It would have been all right if I had paid for it. Why did you alert the police?"
一方の親は「代金を払えば済むのに、なぜ警察に通報したんだ」と店に食ってかかる、というのだ。

These examples show parents bear responsibility for the decline in law-abiding spirit among youths. This reminds us of the need for further education on crime-prevention.
　いかにも寒々しい風景だ。若者が社会ルールを守る意識に乏しいのは親世代に責任があることを示す。この話の教訓として、防犯教育の必要性も指摘しておきたい。

Anybody who commits a crime is subject to punishment. Those who commit theft could face up to 10 years in prison. Moreover, questions remain as to how citizens can protect themselves from falling victim to crimes. Police are cooperating with some schools to provide crime-prevention education, but recent crime trends underline the need to step up efforts.
罪を犯せばペナルティーがある。例えば窃盗でも最高１０年の懲役だ。また、被害に遭わないためにはどうするか。警察は学校と連携し一部で防犯教室を実施しているが、さらに積極的な展開が必要ではないか。

毎日新聞　2009年11月19日　東京朝刊