Koban (police box)

A kōban (交番) is a type of police box found in Japan, and southwestern China (though they are not called by the same name there). In addition to central police stations, Japanese uniformed police work is done from small buildings located within the community, a form of community policing. Police officers in these buildings can keep watch, respond to emergencies, give directions, and otherwise interact with citizens on a more intimate basis than they could from a more distant station. Etymologically, "koban" generally means 3-4 police officers standing watch (立番, duty with standing) in rotation (交替).

Services provided

Police officers stationed at koban serve several roles:
*Maps and directions -- Providing maps & directions to local addresses, in some cases even personally guiding those unfamiliar with local street layouts and addressing schemes. Additionally, officers can refer people to local hotels, restaurants, and other businesses. They can even recommend a good ramen noodle shop.

*Lost and found -- Accepting reports of lost items and accepting found items from members of the public. If a matching lost item is turned in, notifying the owner of the item to come pick up the item.

*Crime reports -- Taking police reports, typically for property crimes such as theft and burglary.

*Emergency services -- As well as dialing the emergency telephone number "110" in case of police, fire, or medical emergency, direct contact can be made with the koban and assistance will be dispatched.

ee also

*Police system of Japan
*Police box

External links

* [http://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.jp/sikumi/kouban/yurai.htm Etymology of koban] , Japanese language site of Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Click "ﾄｯﾌﾟ" (at top) for English language version.
*http://www.koban.fr
* [http://app3.mha.gov.sg/news_details.aspx?nid=956 Koban System of Japan and the Neighbourhood Police Centre System of Singapore]