ODAWARA, Kanagawa -- A police officer faces charges for failing to arrest a teenager he knew had bullied another kid into giving him a game console because the officer did not want it known that he sold the toy on, police said.
Police said documents accusing the 29-year-old policeman with harboring a criminal would be sent to the Yokohama District Public Prosecutors Office.
The police officer admits to the allegations.
"I didn't want anybody to know what I'd done, so I kept it quiet. The bully told me he had no money and I figured he might do something worse to get cash, so I sold the game console for him," the officer said.
Police said that while serving in a police box in February last year, a now 16-year-old boy the officer had known for some time brought a video game console and games to the officer, who sold the equipment to a secondhand outlet. About three hours later, somebody filed a complaint at the police box that a bully had forcibly taken a video game console and software from them.
The officer realized what had happened and asked the first youth if he was responsible. Despite admitting that he was, the officer did not arrest him. Instead, he went to the secondhand store and bought back the game with his own money, but never returned the console to the original owner.
The incident was exposed after the first youth was arrested in a separate case in November last year, and during the course of investigation told police about what the officer had done.
犯人隠避：神奈川・小田原署の巡査を送検
恐喝行為を認めた顔見知りの無職少年（１６）を逮捕しなかったとして、神奈川県警は２５日、小田原署地域課の男性巡査（２９）を犯人隠避容疑などで横浜地検へ書類送検した。巡査は、少年が脅し取った携帯ゲーム機とは知らない段階で、少年から頼まれて勤務中に中古店へ売却しており、「後ろめたくて誰にも言えなかった。『お金がない』と言うので、別の悪さをすると思い売ってしまった」と供述しているという。
県警監察官室の調べでは、巡査は相模原南署の交番勤務だった０７年２月、当時中学３年の少年が持ち込んだゲーム機とソフト１本を交番近くの中古店で売却。ところが約３時間後、交番に「ゲーム機を脅し取られた」との届け出があり、少年を問いただしたところ、恐喝を認めたという。
ところが、巡査は発覚を恐れ、自費でゲーム機を買い戻したものの、被害者には返却しなかった。少年は同１１月に別件で逮捕され、以前の恐喝について供述し、発覚した。【池田知広】
Mainichi Newspaper
April 26, 2008
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