「孫みたい」「いい方来たわ」"住民の笑顔"願う警察官夫婦…町民も信頼寄せる『駐在所』に密着 オリジナルチラシ作りで地域を守る 北海道

Police officers are often thought of as responding to crimes and accidents, but that's not all they do. We followed a police couple who blend into the community, create original flyers, and work to ensure safety. "Oh, good work. This is Kamiatsuma." Yuki Inoshita (33) works at the Atsuma police station in Iburi. After working at stations in Asahikawa and Matsumae in southern Hokkaido, he transferred to the Kamiatsuma Police Station of the Tomakomai Police Department about two years ago. "(Q: What kind of place is a police station?) It's a building where your home and workplace are connected. A police station is a place where police officers live and work. My commute time is 'zero minutes'" (Yuki Inoshita). Unlike a police box, where several officers work in shifts, a police station officer lives alone in the town while protecting the safety of residents. One of his jobs is to understand the actual living conditions of residents. As part of his duties as a police officer at a police box, he listens to any concerns he may have. "Have you had any problems recently?" (Ishita Yuki, Kamiatsuma Police Box) "No, I haven't. I feel safe knowing that you come to my house. Please don't transfer." "You're younger than me, but you listen to my complaints. I think we've welcomed a great person into our community." "You're like my grandson. My grandson is about the same age." (All local residents) Locals adore Inoshita for his kind personality... As the only police officer in Kamiatsuma, he has become an indispensable part of the community. Inoshita returned to the police box. He was using his computer to do something that doesn't seem like police work. "Inoshita Yuki, Kamiatsuma Police Box," he said. "I'm particular about making my materials easy to read, so I try to make them easy to understand and understand." (Inoshita Yuki, Kamiatsuma Police Box) The flyers he's making are to raise awareness about fraud prevention. One of the important duties at the police station is creating flyers to warn people about drunk driving and fraud. On this day, they were making flyers to raise awareness of fraud for the annual local festival, which was just one week away. The flyers will be made at this major event, which attracts approximately 30,000 people from inside and outside Hokkaido. Just when they thought the flyers were nearing completion, Inoshita seemed a little anxious. "Even after making this much, I'm not sure if they'll be easy to read without my wife's illustrations," said Yuki Inoshita. In fact, Inoshita's wife, Asami (31), is also a police officer working at Tomakomai Police Station. Asami is skilled at designing characters. Demonstrating the teamwork that only a married couple can have, Inoshita writes the text and Asami handles the illustrations, they have created a variety of flyers to date. "After work, I pick up my daughter around this time and head home," says Ishimo Asami. After Asami finishes her reduced-hour shift from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM, she heads off to pick up her 4-year-old daughter, Aoi, from nursery school. "What are you doing?" asks Aoi. "I'm chopping onions." says Asami. Upon returning home, she immediately starts preparing dinner, and after completing all the prep work, she begins creating a design to be unveiled at the festival, scheduled for a week later. She uses her smartphone to draw something based on Atsuma Town's mascot, "Atsumaru-kun." "(Q: Is it difficult to work while working?) I've loved drawing since kindergarten, and I've continued to draw whenever I have free time. Drawing is like a hobby, so it's actually fun," says Asami. They create flyers while performing their daily duties as police officers. Where does this passion come from? "I believe that reconstruction is progressing thanks to the efforts of the townspeople, but when I patrol, I see people who still bear the emotional scars of the disaster," says Yuki Inoshita. On September 6, 2018, the Iburi Eastern Earthquake recorded a maximum seismic intensity of 7 and killed 44 people. Atsuma Town suffered the most damage, with 37 deaths (including disaster-related deaths). As the family of a police officer at a police station who understands the feelings of local residents, we wanted to do our part to alleviate their anxiety and offer our support. "I hope that our activities will bring a smile to the faces of the townspeople, even if only a little," says Yuki Inoshita. And then, the day of the festival arrived. The venue was packed with locals and tourists. "We made this together. The finished product is finally here," says Yuki Inoshita. The two of them worked so hard on this piece. What kind of reaction will they receive? "I get these (scam emails) all the time on my phone. It's scary." (Local resident) "Please be careful." (Ishita Yuki) "I think it's great. You're really good at it. I don't see anything like this very often." (Local resident) "It's so realistic. I think it's amazing that...