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25,000 cops patrol Tokyo red-light areas…all at once

25,000 police officers descended upon red-light districts on Tuesday
25,000 police officers descended upon red-light districts on Tuesday
Starting at 6:20 p.m., hundreds of officers and volunteers and police dogs walked one kilometer through the streets of the Kabukicho area of Shinjuku Ward to warn against such crimes as purse-snatchings and convenience store robberies.

“With an eye on the 2020 Olympic Games, we are strengthening our crackdown on the money-making activities of lawless foreigners and organized crime groups in entertainment areas,” said Kiyotaka Takahashi, the superintendent general of the Tokyo police.

Starting on December 20, law enforcement began a special patrol of Kabukicho due to the expected surge in visitors over the next two weeks due to year-end bonenkai parties. The patrol will conclude on January 3.

Also on Tuesday evening, Fumio Yamashita, the deputy superintendent general of the Tokyo police, initiated a similar patrol through the Ikebukuro entertainment area.