Nowon police to take care of underprivileged families

By Lee Kyung-min

North Korean defectors and multicultural families won’t have to keep quiet suffering from bullies anymore.

Nowon police in northern Seoul on Wednesday said that an all-women patrol _ the Police Women Doodrim team _ will take care of the underprivileged from now on.

The six members of the patrol said that their primary concerns are issues on violence: sexual, domestic and school.

With daily review of crimes, they plan to accumulate data to help officers better deal with the situations.

Also, the introduction of a hotline system is designed to speed up communication among the police, school, social services and the victims, the police said.

One-on-one counseling, mentoring, study sessions after school, and psychological therapy will all help the prevention of school violence, it added.

Nowon police implemented this measure since there are more North Korean defectors and multicultural families residing there than the rest of the areas in Seoul, said an official.

“Victims usually feel more open to women. That’s why we decided to designate women officers,” said a Nowon police officer.