Japanese police officers fired for using patrol vehicle to perform “meat inspection”
On the 31st of January 2025, Hyogo Prefectural Police dismissed two male sergeants for driving a mini-patrol car while intoxicated.
According to the police, the two sergeants aged 28 and 32, were having a barbecue and drinking with four other colleagues on the grounds of a police station on May 15th last year.
As the barbecue was taking place after sunset, the two officers decided the best way to obtain a light to check whether the meat was cooked properly was to use vehicle lights to perform what can only be described as a “meat inspection”.
The 28-year-old sergeant drove his personal car and the 32-year-old sergeant drove a mini-patrol car, with the two driving while under the influence of alcohol for around about 40 meters on a public road.
The incident was discovered on the same day when a local resident called 110 to report that “police officers from the police station were having a barbecue using the lights of their patrol car.”
Initially, the male sergeants falsely reported during questioning that “someone who was sober was driving,” and then after checking the footage from the mini-patrol’s dashcam on their personal computers, they colluded.
However, a detailed investigation of the dashcam footage revealed that the person who was reported to have been driving was outside the vehicle, and it was confirmed that they were driving under the influence of alcohol.
The two men said, “We were driving with the understanding that we were just switching cars. We are sorry for causing trouble to many people and betraying their trust.”
The police also announced that four of their colleagues would receive a six-month pay cut (10%). In addition, a 39-year-old male sergeant working in the Toharu region was given a one-month pay cut (10%) for playing pachinko while on the job and borrowing about 2.6 million yen to cover the expenses.
The Hyogo Prefectural Police commented: “This is an outrageous act that undermines the trust of the people of the prefecture, and we deeply apologize. We will thoroughly instruct our staff and strive to prevent recurrence.”.