CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, Japan – August 19, 2015 — Marine and Japanese police officers conducted a scenario-based bilateral exercise on Camp Hansen, Okinawa, Japan, Aug. 5, 2015.
The training, which included the Ishikawa Police Station and the Camp Hansen Provost Marshal’s Office, honed the two organizations’ ability to cooperatively stop a base intrusion.
“This exercise was made to provide hands-on, scenario-based training that will help both organizations to act and solve actual cases,” said Kiyotaka Maedomari, chief of Ishikawa Police Station.
During multiple scenarios, Ishikawa police and PMO communicated to apprehend individuals simulating illegal behavior on base.
“Safety and security around the area is a top priority that can only happen based on the communication and public relation between Ishikawa and Camp Hansen itself,” said Maedomari.
During the first scenario, Camp Hansen guards spotted a suspect fleeing the base after taking suspicious photos of the area. The camp guard notified PMO, and PMO coordinated with the Ishikawa Police Station to track down the suspect.
In the second scenario, an individual entered the base and fled when approached by Marine police. The Marines pursued, captured and — with the assistance of an interpreter — questioned and searched the individual before handing him over to the Ishikawa police.
“We went in, took the appropriate steps, assessed the situation and took him in,” said Cpl. Rasheed A. Bashir, from Antioch, California, and a watch commander with III Marine Headquarters Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. “Then, once we found out his intentions weren’t detrimental to the Marine Corps and its mission, we turned him over to the Japanese police.”
This training event was part of force integration happening throughout the world, according to 1st Lt. Morgan A. Bryce, from Beaufort, South Carolina, and the officer-in-charge of the Camp Hansen Provost Marshal’s Office.
The Marines and Ishikawa police work together on actual cases daily, according to Bryce.
“We are looking forward to fostering an even stronger relationship and our continuous friendship with Camp Hansen for years to come,” said Maedomari.