Yoon stresses need to restructure police force amid 'chain of heinous crimes'

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a commemoration ceremony of the 78th National Police Day at Yeongbingwan guesthouse in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

President Yoon Suk Yeol stressed the importance of restructuring the police to focus more on public safety in the face of a growing number of violent crimes, during the 78th National Police Day commemoration ceremony, Wednesday.

The National Police Agency (NPA) announced the plan to restructure the police force last month, highlighted by sending approximately 2,600 desk duty officers to patrol teams, which will be created at different precincts. However, officers have been expressing doubts over the plan, saying sending more officers to local police stations will be less effective.

“We must break the chain of heinous crimes and create a country where citizens can live without concerns on safety,” Yoon said during the ceremony at Yeongbingwan guesthouse in Seoul.

“To do so, it is essential to restructure the police organization with a focus on public safety, and enhance officers’ on-site response capability.”

Yoon also urged police to concentrate its efforts to prevent the public from facing the threat of crimes, and should not tolerate sexual assault, child abuse, domestic violence, stalking and other crimes targeting the socially vulnerable.

Yoon’s comments came after the NPA on Sept. 18 announced that it would shut down a number of divisions at provincial and city police stations and send approximately 2,600 desk officers to serve patrol duty in teams that will be created at local police stations. Also, 1,300 detectives from investigative teams at police stations will be reallocated to separate patrol teams that will be created at precincts.

This move is a countermeasure that comes after a series of deadly stabbing rampages targeting random people took place in heavily populated areas in Seoul and Gyeonggi Province in recent months. On July 21, Cho Seon, 33, went on a stabbing spree killing one man and wounding three others near Sillim Station in Seoul, and 22-year-old Choi Won-jong killed two and wounded 13 others near Seohyeon Station in Gyeonggi Province, on Aug. 3.

The overhaul plan, however, was questioned by police officers, because most community police stations are suffering from workforce shortages and more than 30 percent of officers at the stations are aged over 50. Given officers at police stations are the first to respond to reports of crimes, creating new patrol teams should come after increasing the number of officers at stations.

Also, criticisms were raised over reducing the number of detectives. During a parliamentary audit on the NPA on Oct. 12, Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Lim Ho-seon said “Investigative teams are already shunned among officers due to the heavy workload” and “the plan of sending detectives to patrol teams does not match with demands from the field.”

NPA Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun said that “patrol teams are aimed at expanding the existing investigation teams, and managing the police force in a flexible way to improve on-site response.”

Meanwhile, during the ceremony, President Yoon honored three officers who died on duty, and pledged to “make a country which honors heroes in uniform.”