[freetime2]

An additional conjecture I’ll throw out is that is that as crime declines, it frees up police to investigate crimes and catch non-violent criminals who might not be caught if the police were busy dealing with more serious crime.

I still remember this anecdote from an article several years ago headlined “As crime dries up, Japan’s police hunt for things to do” [1].

> THE stake-out lasted a week, but it paid off in the end. The tireless police of Kagoshima, a sleepy city in the far south of the country, watched the unlocked car day and night. It was parked outside a supermarket, and contained a case of malt beer. Finally, a passing middle-aged man decided to help himself. Five policemen instantly pounced, nabbing one of the city’s few remaining law-breakers.

Can you imagine this happening in San Francisco?

[1] https://www.economist.com/asia/2017/05/18/as-crime-dries-up-...

[MichaelZuo]

It's a completely different legal culture in Japan, the entire system is designed so that laws on the books can credibly be enforced 365 days of the year.

But they are much more careful and selective in what laws to enact in the first place.

As opposed to other jurisdictions that don't care nearly as much.

[SliceOfWaifu]

A boy can dream...