Police launch 182 call center for non-emergency requets

By Yi Whan-woo

Police have revamped the emergency call system to ensure prompter responses in urgent situations.

The National Police Agency (NPA) said Friday that its 112 crime report center will take calls regarding life-threatening circumstances and other emergencies, while non-emergency requests will be taken via the 182 call center that has provided information on children who have been missing for years.

The measure comes amid rising concern over the police’s failure or delayed response to crimes when the public called for help on 112.

The NPA said that 28.5 percent of the 995,000 calls received through 112 last year were not urgent, including prank calls.

And police have faced mounting public criticism for the inefficiency of the 112 line, which critics claimed is often busy, preventing officers from taking calls from people who were desperate for assistance. Several cases were reported this year across the country that the line was busy or even disconnected when women facing rape threats dialed 112.

One of the cases was a lady in her 30s in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province. She claimed her calls to 112 were disconnected when she tried to request help after she reported being followed by a man who attempeted rape her on the night of April 26.

The woman said she managed to escape but the incident triggered public criticism of the police, it occurred shortly after the horrendous murder of a woman in her 20s in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, by a Korean-Chinese immigrant worker, after a 112 operator bungled the call.

The 182 call center will handle general requests, such as the amount of fines for traffic violations, information on car licenses and how to contact officers in charge of specific cases.

Callers will be asked to press 1 to talk to an officer about those areas. Those who want to inquire about missing children will need to press 2, police said.