The number of police officers has exceeded the 100,000 mark for the first time and the ratio of citizens per police officer has dropped to the lowest ever, the National Police Agency (NPA) said Sunday.
The number of police officers reached 101,108 last year, up 1.56 percent from the previous year, and the increase helped lower the ratio of citizens per police officer to 498.
But this is still relatively high, compared to other developed countries. In comparison, the ratio in the U.S. is 354 and France, 273.
The portion of female police officers also increased to 6.8 percent last year with the total number of policewomen reaching 6,830. The police agency plans to expand the proportion of police women to 10 percent by 2014.