Tokyo’s ‘Paw Patrol’ keeps crime on short leash

WATCHDOGS Members of the Wan-Wan Patrol turn a leisurely family habit into a form of community service, monitoring children, looking out for residents and helping deter crime. —AFP

TOKYO—It’s a neighborhood watch with a difference. A clean-nosed crew, sniffing out trouble and keeping the streets safe for schoolkids: meet the pups of Tokyo’s real-life Paw Patrol.

They might not have the gadgets and gear of their beloved cartoon counterparts, but the dogs of the Wan-Wan (bow-wow) Patrol are firm favorites in Tokyo’s Karasuyama neighborhood.

Twelve-year-old Yurika Igarashi counts on seeing Sakura, a fluffy toy poodle, when she’s on her way home from school. “Sometimes I’m scared when I’m coming home alone, but I feel OK when I’m walking with Wan-Wan Patrol,” she told Agence France-Presse (AFP), gently cradling Sakura on her lap.

Walks turn into watch

Sakura is one of 150 pups who form the Wan-Wan Patrol, a program that enlists dogs and their owners to turn their daily walks into a neighborhood watch, monitoring children, looking out for residents and helping deter crime.

The Karasuyama program is one of the oldest such community initiatives in Japan and was founded by a local police officer.

“Individual owners walk whenever they can and have their dog wear the same scarf,” said Keiko Shimizu, the patrol’s current leader. Clearly marked canines patrolling the streets means “we can help make the neighborhood less prone to crime,” she added.

Many of the dog owners are parents of current and former students of the local school, but others just participate in the community watch as residents.

One of safest countries

On one recent morning, five pooches in Wan-Wan Patrol’s lime-green neckerchiefs wagged their tails as they accompanied children going to elementary school. Pu, a 17-year-old shih tzu, is one of the oldest members of the patrol and can no longer walk by herself. But she proudly participates from the comfort of a doggy stroller pushed by her owner.

“The program helps us get to know each other and become good neighbors, and I feel this place stays safe that way,” said Michiko Takeuchi, owner of poodle and Maltese mix Kojiro, and mother to a local schoolboy.

Japan has a reputation as one of the world’s safest countries, with very low rates of violent crime. —AFP