Police strengthen rules on cases involving officer family members
Senior poilce officers take part in a meeting at the National Police Agency's headquarters in Seoul, Thursday, to pledge reform following a series of misconduct cases. Yonhap
Police will transfer cases involving family members of police officers to other stations as part of efforts to reform investigative practices and strengthen conflict-of-interest rules, the National Police Agency (NPA) said.
The move comes as police have faced intense scrutiny over a high-profile scandal this year, in which investigators allegedly covered up evidence linked to a murder suspect whose father is a police officer.
Under the new policy, investigators assigned to cases involving family members of officers at the same station or those who worked at the station in the past three years must recuse themselves and transfer the cases to another station.
The family members affected by the policy include the spouses, parents, children and siblings of officers.
The NPA said exceptions will be made for cases involving emergency arrests or when continued investigations are necessary for victim protection, but their proceedings will undergo review every month.
The move comes after major public outcry over the murder case in the southwestern city of Gwangju in May. The suspect is accused of killing a female high school student and attempting to a kill a male student.