Water Police - Suijou Keisatsu

Prefectural police are responsible for maintaining public order throughout the prefecture, including the sea and the air, but police duties carried out on water, such as the sea, rivers, and lakes, are specifically called water police, and are supervised and coordinated by the Regional Affairs Division of the National Police Agency. The water police system began in February 1877 (Meiji 10) with the establishment of the River and Sea Police Regulations and the establishment of a temporary River and Sea Police branch office of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters (Metropolitan Police Department). In August of the same year, the River and Sea Police was renamed Water Police, and in October 1879, the Water Police Station was abolished and the Water Police Station was established, which has continued to the present day.

However, the number of water police stations specializing in water police activities has been decreasing nationwide since around 2005 as a result of the reorganization of police stations and their integration with land-based police stations. The Metropolitan Police Department's Water Police Station was also replaced by the Metropolitan Police Department's Tokyo Wangan Police Station in 2008.

As of 2010, 198 police vessels are deployed to 122 police stations across the country, including four water police stations and three harbor police stations, which have jurisdiction over major ports, remote islands, rivers, lakes, etc. They are responsible for patrols and other vigilance, security activities, the detection and crackdown on various crimes and accidents, and safety guidance by visiting ships, etc.

[Miyakoshi Kiwami]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

都道府県警察は、海、空を含む都道府県の区域全域について治安維持の責務を担っているが、海、河川、湖沼等の水上において行われる警察業務をとくに水上警察と呼称し、警察庁地域課が指導調整している。水上警察制度は、1877年（明治10）2月の河海警察規則の制定および東京警視本署（警視庁）の河海警察仮出張所の設置に始まり、同年8月、河海警察が水上警察と改称され、さらに1879年10月、水上警察所が廃止され、水上警察署が設置されてその確立をみ、現在に至っている。

　ただし、このような水上警察活動に特化した警察署としての水上警察署は、全国的に2005年ころから警察署の再編に伴う陸上の警察署との統合等が進められた結果、その数が減少している。警視庁水上警察署も、2008年（平成20）に警視庁東京湾岸警察署に置き換わった。

　2010年時点では、全国で水上警察署4署、臨港警察署3署をはじめ、主要な港湾、離島、河川、湖沼等を管轄する122警察署等に警察船舶198隻が配備され、パトロール等による警戒、警備活動や各種事件、事故の検挙、取締りにあたるとともに、訪船等による安全指導を行っている。

［宮越　極］

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