We all know the feeling: you're at work, you want to sneak in a little downtime (?), but you absolutely cannot get caught. Even if you're slacking, you've got to get your job done to avoid getting busted.
But Japan recently served up a hilarious incident. The Hyogo Prefectural Police announced yesterday (May 16) that a 38-year-old male officer from an eastern police box was hit with a one-month, 10% pay cut for playing mobile competitive games during his shift at the station. Seven other officers, ranging from 21 to 30 years old, also received warnings. This absurd, laugh-out-loud story quickly became a hot topic on X.
According to news reports, these eight officers were not only playing online competitive games together during work hours, but sometimes even while on patrol! Investigations revealed that between October and December last year, they'd fire up games on their personal phones in the police box's break room, playing for about 20 minutes per session. Some officers even clocked in up to 10 rounds.
While they claimed they'd immediately stop if a call came in, insisting "it didn't affect their work," an anonymous tip in November blew the lid off the whole operation.
This immediately brought to mind Ryotsu Kankichi from the classic manga "KochiKame: This Is the Police Station in Front of Kameari Park," who not only plays video games on duty but also drags his colleagues into the fun, driving the chief absolutely wild. (Inner voice: Ryotsu, you big dummy!!)
Many netizens chimed in, eager to know what game they were playing, especially with an entire shift of officers teaming up. Some guessed it might be "Knives Out," given the team-based gameplay and roughly 20-minute rounds.
However, some users were puzzled, wondering if the punishment was too harsh if the officers were playing in the break room and it didn't actually impact their duties. Still, as state-salaried police officers, such behavior definitely creates a bad impression.
It just goes to show: as public servants, it's crucial to stick to your duties while on the clock. There's plenty of time to play mobile games during your breaks – but maybe not when you're supposed to be protecting and serving, eh? QQ
via： togetter