HYOGO (TR) – Police here have arrested a 55-year-old police inspector on suspicion of trespassing after he allegedly broke into the residence of a junior female officer and secretly filmed the interior, reports the Sankei Shimbun (May 13).
Atsushi Shinoda, who served as the head of the traffic division at the Sasayama Police Station, was taken into custody on Wednesday by the prefectural police’s special safety investigation squad. He has admitted to the allegations.
According to investigators, Shinoda used an unspecified method to illegally enter the Sanda City apartment of a female police officer in her 20s between November and January. The suspect and the victim were previously acquainted.
The inspector’s illicit activities began to unravel on the evening of March 1, when another female officer caught Shinoda lurking inside the women’s locker room at the police station during his shift. Suspicious of his presence, she reported the incident to a supervisor the following day.
During subsequent interrogations, investigators searched Shinoda’s commuter bag and discovered a small camera measuring approximately 10 centimeters. An examination of the device’s memory card revealed multiple short video clips showing the inside of the victim’s apartment.
“It is highly regrettable that a senior police officer has been arrested,” said Chief Inspector Kenji Ogami. “We will take strict disciplinary action based on the facts as they are uncovered.”
