Here in the U.S., most of our efforts to prevent property crimes focus on hardening our properties against criminals. We welcome things like home security systems and deadbolt locks. Stronger defenses are part of the equation in Japan as well.
But they have another interesting and very creative way to approach property crimes. It is a practice known as junkai renraku.
Junkai renraku is the practice of sending police officers door-to-door for the purposes of meeting residents, gathering information, and offering sound crime prevention advice. It has been part of Japanese culture for some 70 years.
Whether or not the practice actually works is up to researchers to decide. For my purposes, junkai renraku is the foundation of a much broader principle: the principle of knowledge equaling power.
The more knowledge a person has on a given topic, the better that person is able to respond, react, plan, etc. At least that is the theory.
Junkai Renraku Is Struggling Right Now
According to the Japan Times, junkai renraku is struggling right now. Several issues are making it more difficult for police officers to conduct door-to-door visits. At the top of the list are security measures designed to keep criminals out.
For example, multi-unit apartment buildings are now being equipped with auto locks that prevent police officers from getting to individual apartments.
Heighted building security is throwing up all sorts of roadblocks that are making it more difficult for police officers to move beyond street level.
So what are they doing about it? In Tokyo, the police department has launched a public awareness campaign urging residents to cooperate with them on junkai renraku.
Part of the campaign is to educate local residents as to why police officers are making door-to-door visits.
That brings up yet another thing the police are struggling with – distrust. Officers have traditionally based their visits on assessing security and offering advice for making it better.
But in more recent years, police have also used the visits to gather information about residents – information that might be useful in tracking someone down later.
Local residents are understandably concerned by such information gathering practices. Although I cannot say for sure, I am guessing more than one Tokyo resident is happy about heightened building security preventing police officers from conducting junkai renraku as easily as before.
Assuming the Best About Junkai Renraku
Let’s assume the best about junkai renraku. Let us assume the primary goal is to offer valuable assessments and advice that will help residents stay safe.
What is at the root of the practice? Knowledge. The idea is to impart knowledge to residents so that they know how to protect themselves against property crimes.
We do similar things here in the U.S. Local police departments all over the country conduct their own public awareness campaigns to inform residents about security issues.
And in fact, some police departments go door-to-door when they have the time.
Really, the only difference is that we don’t have the cultural practice of junkai renraku. Yet we still believe that knowledge is a powerful tool against crime.
Stats and Tips Are Readily Available
Anyone who generally wants to inform himself about property crimes can find all the information he wants online. Tons of stats and tips are readily available.
Federal, state, and local governments publish all sorts of information on their sites. And then there are companies like Vivint that dedicate thousands of words per month to blog posts designed to educate.
Vivint talks about things like home security systems, video cameras, and smart garage door control.
Government sites offer a ton of statistical data as well as safety tips offered by law enforcement experts. Combined, all the sites provide more information than the typical consumer can digest.
The point is that none of us needs to be ill-informed about property crimes and how to prevent them. The information is there if we want it. And if we don’t, we are free to continue on as-is and take our chances.
Junkai Renraku’s Big Advantage
Comparing how we do things here and in Japan suggests to me that junkai renraku has one advantage, and it is a big one: its potential as an attention-getting reminder.
Seeing a pair of police officers through the peephole of an apartment door immediately raises an alert. So when the resident opens the door to speak to officers, they are paying attention.
Being on alert goes a long way toward making people cognizant of their own risks. Police officers going door-to-door are a constant reminder that property crimes are real. For me, it’s a lot like seeing the local fire department go door-to-door to inquire about smoke alarms.
I rarely think about a fire’s potential to completely engulf my home in minutes. I rarely think about fire prevention. But when I see the fire department canvassing my neighborhood, I am instantly reminded.
Though I have never seen the police department canvassing my neighborhood to pass on security tips, I need to imagine that their presence would act as a similar reminder.
I also need to assume that regular reminders would lead me to think about my own security more often.
The Downside to Junkai Renraku
The downside to all of this is found in the principle of crying wolf. In other words, too many reminders can ultimately have the opposite effect when residents do not experience property crime.
This is not to say that everyone needs to be victimized a time or two to make them diligent.
Rather, it is to say that there is a delicate balance between effective reminders and reminding people so frequently that they begin to ignore you.
Junkai renraku has been around Japan for a long time. Officials must believe it works because they keep doing it. And now, they need the public’s help to keep the practice going.
It will be interesting to see if the practice continues even with new security technologies that make junkai renraku more difficult on the police.
