The number of police officers penalized for taking bribes and other illegalities stood at 1,154 last year, up nearly 70 percent from four years ago.
According to data from the National Police Agency, the number of officers who have been disciplined for breach of duty and other wrongdoings
surpassed the 1,100 mark for the second straight year. The number has been steadily rising to hit 1,169 in 2009 from 684 in 2006.
So far in the first seven months of this year, there were 746 cases, foreshadowing a five-year high for 2011, officials from the agency said.
It said duty dereliction cases jumped 97 percent last year from four years ago, the highest growth rate, and that of assaults and sexual crimes rose 79 percent.
As for type of punishment, dismissals surged to 104 last year from 34 in 2006, and salary cuts also more than doubled to 246 from 112.
Police said the rise in the number of punishable officers is a result of the stronger audits implemented since 2009 and attributed a large-scale crackdown, conducted earlier this year, on assaults and bullying by senior officers on junior policemen.
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