Municipal Police - Jichitaikeisatsu

In a broad sense, it means a police organization maintained by a local government in contrast to a national police organization, but in a narrow sense, it refers to the police force maintained within the jurisdiction of cities and towns and villages with a population of 5,000 or more, as opposed to the National Local Police (towns and villages with a population of less than 5,000) based on the old Police Act (Act No. 196 of 1947) promulgated in 1947. The municipal police under the old Police Act were abolished due to reasons such as the obstruction of efficient police operations, the lack of clarity of the national government's responsibility for maintaining public order, and the financial burden on cities, towns, and villages (local governments), and the New Police Act (Act No. 162 of 1954) abolished the National Local Police and Municipal Police and unified them into prefectural police in order to rationally and efficiently handle police affairs, which essentially have both national and local characteristics.

[Yasumasa Kioka]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

広義には国の警察組織に対し自治体が維持する警察組織を意味するが、狭義には1947年公布の旧警察法（昭和22年法律196号）に基づき市および人口5000人以上の町村がその区域内において維持する警察で、国家地方警察（人口5000人未満の町村）に対するものをいう。旧警察法上の自治体警察は、警察の能率的運営の阻害、治安維持に対する国の責任の不明確性、市町村（自治体）の財政に対する重圧などの理由により廃止され、新警察法（昭和29年法律162号）により本質的に国家的性格と地方的性格を併有する警察事務を合理的、能率的に処理できるよう、国家地方警察と自治体警察を廃して都道府県警察に一元化された。

［木岡保雅］

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