How to protect your house
Have you heard the news about the recent robberies in and around Tokyo?
Types of crime:
robbery = the person sees you steal something but can’t stop you
rob (verb) = The bad guy robbed the bank / casino
The robberies have taken place in Nerima, Kokubunji, Saitama and Tokorozawa … and also Yokohama, Tochigi and Hokkaido
The robbers attack residents with hammers and other weapons to steal cash, jewelry and watches.
November 5th headline:
39 arrested over robbery spree in Tokyo area, but no bosses found
“Thirty-nine individuals have been arrested in connection with 18 robberies since August. Most of the suspects are believed to be lower-level criminals, such as lookouts and getaway drivers, acting on orders from their superiors.”
spree = do something a lot in a short time (shopping spree, crime spree)
39 individuals (formal) = people
superior = boss
lookout = person who waits outside the crime area and watches for police
getaway driver = person who drives the car to escape
How old do you think the burglars are?
26 are in their 20’s
8 are in their 30’s
4 are teens
1 is in his 40’s
Most of them have normal day time jobs and were recruited on social media ( 闇バイト) to rob houses
In the 18 robberies, one person was killed and more than 10 others were injured.
How do they enter people’s houses?
Sometimes the robbers dressed like delivery people.
Sometimes they break a side window to enter even if the owners are inside. Then they tied up the people in the house
The criminals usually target old, detached homes. These houses are more likely to have elderly people inside who are easier to control and may have lots of cash and jewelry.
detached house = the house is not connected to other houses
semi-detached house = the house shares one wall with another house
terraced house (UK, Aus) = row house (US) = houses that are connected to houses on both sides
What kind of security does your house have?
What can home-owners do to improve security?
Many houses have wire-reinforced glass.
Is this a good choice?
Wire-reinforced glass doesn’t break when there’s an earthquake… however when someone tries to smash it, it breaks more quietly so it’s easier for robbers to secretly enter.
People should buy anti-shatter film (飛散防止フィルム) to stick on your windows. It should be at least 0.35mm thick
Place gravel around your house that makes a noise when someone walks on it
Install motion detecting lights
install alarms on the windows that ring if they are smashed
Make friends with your neighbors
Do you think Tokyo is a safe city?
What kinds of crimes do you worry about what crimes have you heard about in the news?
This website is a map of the recent crimes around Tokyo. https://www.gaccom.jp/safety/
What kind of crimes do you think are common in your neighborhood?
Do you know the names of any of these crimes in English?
row 1:
Suspicious person; strangers shouting at people; perverts; peeping toms; upskirt photographers/peeping films; prostitution; assault/violence; dangerous weapons; threats/burglary; drugs.
row 2:
Purse-snatching; theft; home invasion; property damage; traffic incident; fire; natural disaster; emergency dispatch; animal appearance; missing persons.
row 3
Fraud; annoyance; harm to children; injury; death; disease/sanitation; warnings (e.g. power outages and disruption to daily services).
Sources:
https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15495515
https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20241005/p2a/00m/0na/015000c?dicbo=v2-MoGRI6e
https://www.gaccom.jp/safety/
https://japantoday.com/category/crime/how-safe-is-japan-new-interactive-map-reveals-reports-of-crime-around-the-country
https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/society/crime-courts/20241019-217467/