Japan's rank-and-file police officers are calling on the general public to protect themselves as they believe law enforcers alone cannot maintain peace and order, a National Police Agency (NPA) report showed on Friday. The 2004 NPA white paper asked 2,000 experienced officers working at local police boxes across Japan about "what is needed to maintain security." A staggering 95 percent of them admitted that they alone could not maintain domestic order, the survey shows. Some 80 percent of them said that individuals should try to protect themselves, while 50 percent said citizens should form local crime prevention groups...
Two factors determine how many police are needed: patrol area and population density. Officers are limited by both, and if either exceeds the average policeman's abilities, then the public must defend itself. Any effort at (reasonable) gun control must recognize this fact. |