"The Houmushou, the Hondo Ministry of Justice is organised according to a hierarchical structure. In direct contact with the citizens and lowest in this structure are the koubans. These are small local law enforcement stations typically serving a square kilometre and manned by a complement of four Junsa. Junsa make up the majority of Hondo law enforcement personnel; they patrol the area they are assigned to - typically on foot - respond to calls of distress, and assist Judge-Inspectors in whatever investigation they are conducting. They are an important part of the local community and are often called upon by citizens to act as councilors and arbitrate disputes. Armed only with a short baton, they can be relied upon to know everything about the inhabitants of their neighborhood and are an excellent source of information. This community-based approach to law-enforcement is one of the reasons that Hondo Justice is well respected by their citizens. Contrast that with our situation where Judges as not so much revered as feared. By dispensing with community-level liaisons, our brand of law enforcement is considerably more aloof, perhaps to our detriment. Yes, Frost?" "Sir, I understand the data gathering advantage that low-level policing confers to Hondo Justice, but doesn't it also serve to humanise the enforcers to the point that the citizens feel complacent and more prone to commit crime. Having Judges assigned to Blocks has been tried here in the past, with mixed results and a number of opportunistic and retaliatory attacks made on those Judges. If our Judges have so much trouble maintaining order, how can a handful of these Junsa do so?" "If you had been paying attention during the section of the lecture dealing with Hondo culture, Frost, you would have remembered that respect for and deference to authority is a keystone of the Nipponese mindset. That is why they can get away with four enforcers armed with sticks operating out of a what is essentially a vid-phone booth; the citizens want them there and they respect the job they are doing." "On up the chain of command. The koubans defer to the tonsho - station houses, which supply the koubans, handle administrative tasks, traffic, minor criminal investigation and crime prevention. Tonsho then defer to the keishichou or prefecture headquarters, the equivalent of our Sector Houses. Various keishichou defer to regional commands and, finally, the regional commands defer to the Houmushou. While the Houmushou possesses absolute authority, their role is primarily administrative and they will only intervene in operations in times of emergency. For the most part, prefecture headquarters is the highest level that concerns itself with daily operations, and it is here that the Keibu - Judge-Inspectors - are based." "Keishichou are divided into nine specialized areas; patrol, criminal investigation and surveillance, traffic, security, crime prevention, forensics, tech, medical and administration. Most of these are staffed by specialised personnel and exist to provide the Keibu with a support structure. The Keibu report directly to the Saibanchou, the 'Prefecture Chief' if you will, who in turn reports to the Shusekihanji or Chief Judge." "Hondo Justice policy is to address any situation, regardless of how minor it may appear, with the maximum amount of available resources. This is done in an effort to prevent situations from developing into something unmanageable. The approach would seem like overkill us, but Hondo doesn't have the amount of crime to stretch resources to the limit that the Meg, so they can afford to use a blazooga to kill a rad-roach." "Teamwork is the foundation of Hondo Justice, but Junsa and Keibu are permitted to make many independent decisions when confronting those who break the law. For example, if a citizen is peddling merchandise in a restricted area but is otherwise law abiding and not bothering anyone, they will often turn a blind eye. However, they will force the citizen to sell his merchandise elsewhere if he is obnoxious or appears shady. For slightly more serious crimes, they may forgo sentencing the offender if he is cooperative and repentant. What constitutes a 'slightly more serious' is a value judgment made by the Keibu. Obviously, a crime such as murder does not fall into this category, but it is vastly different from the our method of adhering to the letter of the Law, regardless of the triviality of the offense. Instead, the Keibu may give the perp a lecture on duty and morality, ask for a written apology addressed to some senior officer, or assign a fine on the spot. Writing an apology is normally enough to shame a Nipponese from ever committing the crime again. With the number of Meg and TexCit citizens that have made the helltrek to Mega-City Two, I imagine the Keibu have their hands full dealing with the influx of bad attitude; it's going to be a rude awakening for them." "Junsa and Keibu are recruited from the general population and undergo training, though nothing as intensive as our Academy schooling. Though the keishichou maintain dormitories, the majority of officers have their own outside accommodation. Off duty, they pursue relationships, drink alcohol, go to shows, and raise families. The profession is regarded as honourable and prestigious and they are held in high regard by the citizens." "Honour is important the Keibu, perhaps more so than most Nipponese. The code of Hondo Law is laid out in the Shishiki, the multi-volume Book of Judges. The Shishiki contains many elements of the Bushido code and governs conduct as well as procedure. A Keibu's conduct reflects directly on his associates and the Houmushou itself. Violations of conduct or procedure are brought to the attention of Tokkou ('virtuous conduct') Division, which is equivalent to our SJS or the Sovs' Political Officers. It is not unknown for disgraced Keibu to seek atonement for disgracing their profession by committing seppuku, or ritual suicide."