To serve and get plush toys.

They say it’s the place where dreams are made. People from far and wide are drawn to the bright lights and all the glitz and glamour that crane games, or UFO catchers as they’re often called in Japan, have to offer, such as stuffed Pokémon, statuettes of anime characters, or curry ingredients.

It can be a lot of fun, but we mustn’t let our craving for key chains become a problem that interferes with our daily lives, especially if that involves ensuring the safety of the public.

On 9 July, the Shizuoka Prefectural Police imposed a 10-percent pay cut for one month on an investigator in his 50s for spending time at game centers and playing with UFO catchers while on duty. This happened on eight separate occasions over a five-month period.

This particular member of law enforcement was in the Criminal Investigation Department’s Mobile Investigation Unit. These investigators tend to work outside of the office and cruise around in plain clothes and unmarked cars looking for crime and being closer to the action so they can provide first response activities like locking down a crime scene to preserve evidence.

▼ Our hero has fearlessly patrolled these mean streets and alleyways.

Because of this, they are given a fair bit of autonomy compared to other members of law enforcement, and could more easily slip away for a round or twenty-five of crane games. The investigator admits to playing the games while on duty and apologized for that, but maintained that it was only done during standby times when he wasn’t actively needed to help deal with a crime.

That alone might make it seem forgivable, but it gets a little worse. He also stands accused of power harassment for making a lower-ranking sergeant in his 30s play a crane game on his behalf to win a figure he wanted. When the sergeant failed to do so, the investigator scolded him, saying: “You’re not taking this seriously because you’re playing with someone else’s money, aren’t you?!”

On top of that, he also reported time spent in game centers as overtime, and fraudulently received 3,700 yen (US$23) in payment for it, probably enough to snag one of those really big Snoopy dolls.

In online comments, readers of the news were understandably upset that a pubic worker tasked with keeping the streets safe was busy trying to pick up toys and knick-knacks with robotic claws.

“Our tax dollars at work.”
“What the hell is he doing?”
“I don’t even want a guy like that enforcing bicycle laws.”
“Eh, it’s not the worst thing in the world.”
“Maybe he was investigating to see if the machines were illegally rigged.”
“Those UFO catchers are pretty shady, after all.”
“It’s so wrong, but I can’t help laughing at it.”
“Is he being punished for avoiding work, power harassment, or fraud here?”
“Just buy the figure you want on the Internet. It’s usually cheaper.”
“Didn’t the cop who left his gun in a public restroom also work in Shizuoka?”

Actually, that last one was a Yamaguchi Prefecture incident, but even if it was in Shizuoka, forgetting guns is a rather disturbing trend all over the country. Nevertheless, the head of the Shizuoka Prefectural Police’s Personnel and Training Division said they will prevent future incidents through further training and guidance.

As for the rest of us, next time you’re playing a crane game and get the urge to just stick your arm up the hole and yank out a precariously perched toy on the edge, remember that there might be an on-duty undercover cop mere feet away. They’d be especially peeved about it too, because you’d be interrupting their own game.

Source: Look, Hachima Kiko
Photos ©SoraNews24
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