Na Jeong-ju
A 19-year-old female college student, surnamed Cho, was on a bus on her way to Seoul on June 16.
Her trip turned into a nightmare when a man sitting next to her started to sexually harass her. As Cho was unable to make a call, she managed to report to police through the 112 anti-crime app she had downloaded on her smartphone.
Police immediately located the bus through the global positioning system, sent officers to the next bus stop and caught the man.
This is just a case showing how the report system is evolving as technology develops.
“In many cases, people have difficulty in reporting verbally when they have to call police. That’s exactly why we developed such an application for smartphone users,” said Park Jeoi-hwa, an official from the Ministry of Public Administration and Security.
There is also a one-button crime report service available for users of all types of wireless phones.
On May 27, a first-grade elementary school student was being molested by a man in a children’s playground in Anyang, Gyeonggi Province.
After witnessing it, a passer-by called police using the “One- Touch SOS Service.” Officers were sent to the scene immediately and apprehended him only 16 minutes after the report was made.
“The service is now only available for underage students in certain areas due to a lack of manpower. We plan to expand the service so that all people in this country can use the service by the end of next year,” said Yang Dae-seong, another ministry official.
The ministry is also providing special devices for free to children, the elderly and disabled people who do not have mobile phones under the U-Relief Service program. With the gadgets, they can send text messages to pre-registered people in emergency situations.
The anti-crime programs, dubbed the SOS Public Relief Service, are part of the government’s efforts to tackle emergency situations more quickly and effectively.
The ministry launched the service in April jointly with the National Police Agency to strengthen the social security network for women and children.
“Mobile operators have similar anti-crime programs, but people must pay for the services. Our services are free, safer and more user-friendly,” Yang said.
The government is seeking to promote the service internationally.
It plans to apply for the U.N. Public Service Awards next year in an effort to share the country’s anti-crime technologies with the rest of the world, especially underdeveloped countries.
“We are cooperating with the Korea International Cooperation Agency to make the service available in countries receiving development aid,” Yang said.
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