40 police cars, 100 officers, one copter mobilized to chase 2 thieves

Tuesday 13th October, 08:21 AM JST

SAITAMA —

Police said Monday they arrested two suspected thieves who fled after a hit-and-run in Saitama Prefecture. Kawagoe police took into custody Akahisa Azami, 29, and a 16-year-old girl who attends a school for the handicapped, on suspicion of theft. The arrest came after a chase involving a total of 100 officers in 40 police cars and one helicopter.

According to police, the two are accused of robbing a 55-year-old woman who was on her way home just after midnight in Tokorozawa on Sunday. Azami grabbed the woman’s purse containing about 10,000 yen, and got into his car with the girl, who was acting as lookout. About four hours later in Kawagoe, they struck the car of a 36-year-old man, severely injuring him. The two suspects ditched their vehicle and ran away on foot.

An eyewitness called police and reported a couple running away from the accident. Police immediately dispatched a helicopter and 40 patrol cars carrying about 100 officers. The two suspects separated but were apprehended only 200 meters from the accident just after dawn. The incident occurred in an area with lots of rice fields and small houses, giving police in the helicopter a clear view of the attempted getaway.

Wire reports

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Latest 15 of 72 Total Comments Show All

jesser18 at 10:11 PM JST - 13th October

Does that mean he has 6 stars?
BurakuminDes at 10:29 PM JST - 13th October

I think this is why we are all so safe in Japan. Don't knock it.

Absolutely! We are safe from all those 16 year old, handicapped female students with sticky fingers. But certainly not safe from the real crims in Japan.
mnemosyne23 at 11:03 PM JST - 13th October

I agree that the "mobilization" of forty cars and one hundred officers probably means something along the lines of a wide search pattern rather than a pinpointed chase through the rice fields of Saitama, but it's still a ridiculous waste of resources. Folks, COPS AREN'T FREE. Who pays for the gas all those cars used? Taxpayers. Who pays for the helicopter? Taxpayers. Who pays the salaries for all those cops? Taxpayers. Dispatching that many officers over what amounts to a petty crime is ridiculous. They'd have been better served by alerting police in the immediate area, not exceeding maybe five cars, with a description of the two, and then letting them patrol. That leaves the remaining 35 cars and 80+ officers free to respond to any REAL emergencies that might crop up. I mean, they called out a HELICOPTER over a hit-and-run caused by a couple of purse snatchers, one of whom is a handicapped sixteen year old girl! That doesn't feel a LITTLE overboard to you? Given the number of hit and runs in Japan, the police coffers would be drained within a month if they sent out the chopper every time, let alone "mobilizing" 100+ officers and setting 40 police cars on alert. Talk about overkill!

What if you stole somebody's wallet, then went and ran a stop sign as you made your getaway? What are they going to do, call out the F-16s?
usaexpat at 11:08 PM JST - 13th October

That's a lot of firepower to nail a couple of purse snatchers. Must have been a slow crime day or maybe a good day to do crimes while the police were busy chasing these two.
Icewind007 at 02:14 AM JST - 14th October

Wow! When I read that they dispatched 40 cars, 100 police and a copter for some thieves, I thought they finally found Lupin the 3rd or something!

I would love to see how much this 100 dollar thievery cost the country in taxes...
Badsey at 05:17 AM JST - 14th October

I keep telling people crime doesn't pay in Japan -except if you are the Police.
JenniferKim at 08:56 AM JST - 14th October

The headline is misleading. It leaves out the fact that they severely injured a man after driving into his car. That's called "assault with a deadly weapon" where I come from. Meaning that these two weren't just thieves -- they were more dangerous than that.
JenniferKim at 08:57 AM JST - 14th October

It seems to me that the Japan Today staff wrote that headline for the deliberate purpose of inviting people to dump on the Japanese police. That's why they left the serious injury out of the headline -- then buried it several paragraphs down in the story.
Investigator at 09:16 AM JST - 14th October

BurakuminDes -Absolutely! We are safe from all those 16 year old, handicapped female students with sticky fingers.

Not only 20/20 hindsight, because they did not know about her so clearly at the time, but you also left out the 29 year old male suspect, the main culprit in both crimes! Is this meant to be comedy?
bdiego at 10:13 AM JST - 14th October

You are correct Jennifer, the headline is a bit sensational. But I guess it's news today.
HonestDictator at 01:20 PM JST - 14th October

Remember the old saying, "Quality not quantity"? 5-6 cars and 20 officers and a helicopter would have been much more efficient. Of course if some silly person is saying 40 cars, 100 officers, and a helicopter when all it was is just 100 officers given a heads up instead of actually being involved in the chase and apprehension of the suspects then they need to work on their reporting skills.
inakaRob at 11:20 AM JST - 16th October

@mnemosyne23: hello buddy. they are going to Drive around ANYWAY!!!! wasting gas. what are you talking about. do police ONLY drive their car when they chasing someone? thats why they are called PARTOL CARS!!!! they patrol. this 'chase' didnt cost a dime more than it would any other day. and besides It gave these guys a chance to actually work together in a controlled effort. And like most people said, its probably just a search pattern. I doubt 100 guys just jump into a car and go. they were probably already out PATROLLING and they got a call to look for the suspects. I mean really come on people. WE are all aware of the sub-par writing on this sight. the half information, and bad translation. Have you never seen a cop moive or show. What are they doing, they are patrolling around the city. They dont do it as much in japan, but they still do it! and what happens when a crime is reported. Some one goes on this device called a radio and sends a message out. All the cops in the city get the message, the ones who are close or are needed join the search. Why do you people look for things to hate about japan.
RandomTask at 10:04 AM JST - 18th October

To be honest it makes for a good training exercise if nothing else.
Cicada at 08:37 PM JST - 18th October

JenniferKim:

that headline for the deliberate purpose of inviting people to dump on the Japanese police. That's why they left the serious injury out of the headline -- then buried it several paragraphs down in the story.

I agree with you. The main point is that this is a hit-and-run with someone severely injured. That requires all police in the area to be on alert.
Youdontknow at 01:50 AM JST - 20th October

All that police manpower, and yet, not even one car is ever seen patrolling known drug areas!!