Brussels' district to get Japanese-style "police boxes"

Maciamo

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Kyodo News : Kobans inspired from Japan in Belgian streets

Schaerbeek, with 110,000 inhabitants, is the second most populous municipality of the Brussels Capital Region after Brussels City. This north-eastern district also has one of the highest percentage of foreigners in the country, especially Moroccans and Turks. Crime and racial tensions are much higher there than in most other Belgian municipalities, so something had to be done to tackle it. The authorities have decided to install mini police stations, holding one or a few police officers, in strategic locations near stations, schools and markets, where a lot of peopl gather, so as to be able to respond more quickly in case of problem.
 
I hope Europe or Brussels does not go down the Police Box road that which Japan has gone down. I have a strong dislike of the police box system here.

I view it as a waste of land, which could be taxed and generate income for the economy if opened up to free enterprise. In addition, I feel police out and about on foot or in squad cars patroling areas is a much better system of responding to emergencies that pop up.

The only thing I have found police boxes useful here, and what many of smart people use them for, are for convenient bathrooms to relieve yourself when you just have to stop to let go. They are also good for asking the police for directions on how to get somewhere. That is why I refer to them as the Chizupolice (like in Cheesy -- not worth much, but a play on the word "map").

Think Maciamo about this:

Probably for the upkeep, electricity, water, city income lost due to opportunity lost from funds (taxes) created by businesses which could use that parcel of land, stimulation to the economy etc... all that money which could have been created for the city, could probably provide the salary of one additional police officer per year or buy several state of the art patrol cars.

I think small scattered police boxes are a waste of recourses -- especially if the land in Brussels is anywhere near as expensive as the land is here in Japan.

Thoughts?
 
Japan has far too many kobans, and most are quite useless given that most serious crimes in Japan happen in people's homes (crimes of passion), in schools (juvenile crimes) or in the underground world (Yakusa) rather than in the street. Japan has very little vandalism, car robberies, car-jacking, bag snatching, gang fights or other street crimes. This district of Brussels has quite a lot of these crimes, so koban might actually be useful.
 
Maciamo said:
Japan has very little vandalism, car robberies, car-jacking, bag snatching, gang fights or other street crimes. This district of Brussels has quite a lot of these crimes, so koban might actually be useful.

Maciamo, in Brussels in this area you are referring to, what are the main motivations or reasons behind these crimes?

Delinquent teens, unemployment, large anarchist supporters, etc...???

Or, perhaps just an unruly sector of the population without much respect for personal rights and property.
 
The reasons are poverty, lack of education and integration, and unemployment. According to the stats, over 50% of immigrants in Belgium live in relatie poverty. Most of these immigrants are from Morocco, Turkey and Black Africa. Muslim youth delinquency is a direct result of the above causes.
 

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