By Lee Kyung-min
Criticism is mounting over the government’s “school police officer” system, under which officers are dispatched to schools to prevent bullying or violence, following recent cases where two officers in Busan had sex with the students they were supposed to protect.
The two ― an officer at Saha Police Station, surnamed Kim, 33, and another at the Yeonje Police Station, surnamed Jeong, 31 ―v allegedly had sex with high school students. It has not been yet found whether the sex involved coercion or threats. As the allegations began to emerge, the two officers both resigned and their stations allegedly attempted to cover up the cases by accepting their resignations.
The government adopted the school police system in 2012 in an effort to reduce school violence and prevent crimes there, following an increase in student suicides due to bullying. But questions have risen over the efficacy of the system due to manpower and budget shortages.
Currently, only 1,075 officers are responsible for 11,590 schools nationwide, meaning one officer has to cover almost 11 schools.
Students and school authorities say the officers’ role is limited to receiving reports on school violence, or visiting schools just once a year to attend anti-bullying committee meetings.
“Most of our concern is that the officers are usually not there when students need them,” said an official at the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education (SMOE). “In case of an emergency, it is difficult for one officer to deal with the situation alone.”
Some others are skeptical of the level of consultation offered by the officers because they have no training as professional counselors.
“School police officers do not have educational backgrounds in adolescent psychology, or consultation for that matter,” said former police officer Jang Sin-joong, who made the Busan cases public through his Facebook page.
“Young, handsome officers are usually selected, which is nothing more than a shallow attempt to appeal to teenagers who like good-looking celebrities. They, unlike older officers with their own children, lack the experience to counsel adolescents.”
The Ministry of Education said it plans to revise related guidelines, limiting officers to hold consultation sessions with students on school property only. They will be able to have the sessions outside only when at least two officers are present, effectively banning one-on-one counseling.
This is to prevent recurrence of similar cases involving Kim, who is suspected of having sexual intercourse with a schoolgirl inside his car.
The alleged victim in Kim’s case reported the incident to a school nurse on June 8, four days after the incident. Kim’s superiors allegedly confirmed the case with Kim and the school authorities, but only had him resign without facing any disciplinary action.
In Jeong’s case, the victim attempted suicide after the incident. She later told a worker at a regional welfare facility, who then called the police station to verify it on May 9. Jeong then resigned the next day.
Both Kim and Jeong not only evaded punishment but also received severance pay in full. Their superiors were dismissed Monday for failing to report the incidents to the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency. Commissioner Lee Sang-sik of the agency made an official apology to the public, Tuesday.