Conducting Investigations with Fake Identities: Use New technique to Foil ‘Dark Part-Time’ Robbers

Editorial

12:59 JST, December 15, 2024

There has been a series of robberies committed by mainly young people who have applied for “dark part-time jobs,” and this is causing anxiety among the public. The police should use various investigative methods to crack down on such crimes.

Toward this end, the National Police Agency is considering introducing a new investigative technique in which investigators disguise themselves and apply under false names for dark part-time jobs. This kind of undercover operation is called a “disguised identity investigation,” and the agency is aiming to launch it next year.

These sorts of crimes are carried out by first recruiting people for such jobs via social media, having applicants send a photo of their driver’s license, and then getting them to take part in the crime by threatening to “harm” them if they refuse to join in.

In the new investigative method, investigators will pretend to be applicants and send such items as fake driver’s licenses with fake addresses.

The investigators will likely then try to communicate with the crime group by pretending to be robbers. If other group members can be arrested before they break into a house, crimes can be prevented.

In recent years, groups categorized as “tokuryu” — or anonymous and fluid criminal groups whose members are connected via social media and repeatedly come together and disperse — have engaged in clandestine activities. Dark part-time job ads are used to recruit members for these groups.

According to a tally by The Yomiuri Shimbun, there have been more than 20 cases of robbery and other crimes committed via dark part-time job recruitment in six prefectures since August, and 50 or more men and women have been arrested. Of them, 80% were young people in their 20s or younger.

If investigators are successful in their undercover operations, young people may grow hesitant to apply for dark part-time jobs. This could have a significant deterrent effect on crimes.

Applicants for dark part-time work are assigned roles such as perpetrating the robbery, driving the getaway vehicle and preparing the weapons.

The person giving the instructions uses a highly secure app from a remote location to give specific instructions on how to carry out the crime. Due to this arrangement, it is difficult to reach the person giving the instructions simply by arresting the people carrying out the crime.

This will be the first time that police introduce an investigation technique in which investigators fake their identities. They should prepare carefully and uncover who is giving the instructions, so that they can obtain a full understanding of the criminal group.

In undercover investigations, the challenge lies in ensuring the safety of the investigators. Their identities must not be found out during their interactions with the crime group, and there must be no danger to the investigators themselves or to their families.

It is also necessary to consider when to take action to foil the perpetrators. If action is taken at an early stage before the crime is committed, it will be difficult to charge them with serious crimes. On the other hand, if action is taken at the last minute, the safety of the targeted victims may be threatened.

It is important to formulate detailed guidelines on how to use the new investigative technique and to provide repeated training for investigators.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 15, 2024)