Preventing Stalkers

Police will be making a step forward toward the victim’s side in stalking crimes. An experts’ panel in National Police Agency wrapped up a report for reviewing Stalking Regulation Act to deter the crimes with harder penalty and rapid response. Sneaking into social networking service is included one of the preventive measures. Although it might be violating individual rights for privacy, growing tendency of the crime, obstinately hanging around a woman resulting in murder, required more actions.

In 1999, a female college student was killed by a man hired by her ex-boyfriend in City of Okegawa, Saitama. She was brutally pierced by knives in front of public eyes. Although she and her family kept on appealing police to protect her from consistent follower, the police could not take appropriate measures to prevent the murder. Her father indicted the police of the failure in saving her life.

The Okegawa Stalking Murder Case caused new legislature of Stalking Regulation Act, which prohibits waiting the target around her/his school, office or house. Regarding that law could not deter further consistent criminals, the report of the panel recommended regulation on consecutive messagings through social networking service including LINE. It also focused on making penalty heavier, which currently was six months in prison or fine of five hundred thousand yen.

However, history of stalking crime proved that penalty made no difference. Care for targeted woman or even for stalkers is key to the solution. The panel emphasized the importance of medical care for the criminals, as well as reinforcement of police. Concerning the tendency that the criminals likely to make same activities after leaving prison, fundamental solution must be curing distorted belief in love.

Ken-ichi Ino, father of the victim in Okegawa Case and one of the members of the panel, was partly satisfied with the conclusion of the panel, saying “Voices of victims were reflected in conclusion of the panel. I believe that a direction was presented for more devoted and mindful action of police.

It is unclear whether police can eliminate stalking crime. Borderline between friendship and stalking cannot be drawn forever. Legislation of sneaking into private conversation in social networks may be simply resulted in violation of freedom of communication. Cooperation of local community is indispensable in dealing with this kind of crimes. Furthermore, collision between haves and have-nots, which causes bullying society, needs to be eliminated to prevent murder of physically weak women.