Have police lost control?

By Anthony Hegarty

Did you see the recent video of the Sillim-dong stalker? Based on the content of that video he was correctly charged with a form of trespass. However, the police crumbled to the feministas and upped the charge to attempted rape.

The suspect has denied any criminal intent, so regardless of how we feel, or even if he has 1,000 previous convictions for rape, the absence of evidence in this case remains the same. What is more, the accused is not required to prove he did not intend to rape, the prosecution must prove he did!

Separately, in a recent meeting with a British drink drug testing manufacturer the police stated that they wished to produce their own drink drug test kits to reduce sexual violence.

The representative told them that if they used their available budgets to focus on sex crime prevention projects, then the testing technology they desired could be transferred to them. They refused! Shortly thereafter they announced a budget of 350 million won to research and develop drink test kits which in fact they have had in their possession for at least five years.

The drugs they wish to detect are combinations of often legally available industrial chemicals ― synthetic drugs ― and when detection tests are developed, or chemical control laws are passed, the recipes are changed to counter these measures. It's a constant game of international cat and mouse, and the British lead in this field, constantly tracking and constantly developing counter-measures.

Earlier this year a new threat to Korean drink security was discovered, a threat that doesn't exist in Western countries, and those aware of it have made the necessary adjustments to their test protocols. But now that the police have entered the private sector market of drink test development, this information cannot be shared with them.

In another case, shortly after announcing that research budget, the Gangnam police became aware of a Korea sex crime prevention project designed by the same British representative, and wanted to participate. However, they stated they had no budget available, so in the interest of saving life it was agreed the private company would finance it.

But the police would then demand that the private company could not be mentioned in any documentation and it would be presented as a police sex crime prevention project, along with a local government office. Statements such as “this is Korea, not England, you must follow the Korean system…” were perceived as intimidation and bullying. The only input permitted by the private company was finance, yet there could be no mention of it.

Concerned with the absence of any public transparency the British walked out, deeply dismayed. A lifesaving project to protect women had been killed by the police women's protection division!

So why are the police making such damaging decisions?

The Burning Sun case is a deeply disturbing chapter in an otherwise very good book on policing. The police have been wounded and appear desperate to be seen to be doing something to deal with sexual violence in the face of severe criticism from feminist groups; this probably includes charging the Silim Stalker with attempted rape. But knee-jerk panic reactions are not how they should be operating.

Korea has always had drugs and sex crimes, and the police are not to blame for them. What is more, they are not going to suddenly arrest, prosecute and or develop their way out of this situation. If that were possible, they would have done it already. So if they wish to create a level of safety they have never before had, then they will need to do things they have never before done.

This will include ceasing to treat private organizations as problems to be managed, and instead as opportunities to embrace. Private industry involvement is the fastest way to include the wider public into social problem solving which would greatly increase public safety and greatly decrease public costs.

The police must regain their composure and take back control, which means reacting to evidence, and not pressure from ill-informed social groups. Every time they buckle to the mob they are seen as weak and disorganized which further feeds the frenzy against them.

The writer is a criminologist with a master's degree in criminology and criminal psychology. Contact him at dsrm@dsrm.kr.