SAITAMA (TR) – To coincide with several awareness campaigns that seek the eradication of gropers, law enforcement is upping patrols at railway stations in the Kanto area, reports Fuji News Network.
On Monday, officers from the Saitama Prefectural Police distributed tissue packs that contain a “manual” on how to deal with a suspected chikan, or groper.
In Saitama Prefecture, the number of groping incidents totaled 320 in 2017, roughly twice the figure from 2009, police said.
In a similar event over the weekend, police appeared at JR Shinjuku Station in the capital. Last year, there were 69 arrests for groping at the station, increase of 11 over the year before.
Through Friday, police in Saitama will be riding trains in an effort to intensify patrols targeting gropers. Likewise, officers from the Shinjuku Police Station and railway personnel will also be increasing such patrols.