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| National Police Agency Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun speaks to reporters during his visit to Dongdaemun Police Station in Seoul on Wednesday afternoon. Yonhap |
By Lee Hyo-jin
The police have vowed to introduce better measures to handle intoxicated members of the public on streets, following criticisms over their poor response which has recently led to a series of deaths.
At about 8:10 p.m., Jan. 19, Dongdaemun Police Station in Seoul received a report that a drunk man in his 50s was sleeping on the street. Two officers were deployed on-site, but after a failed attempt to wake him up ― which lasted for about six minutes ― they left him lying on the street without taking additional measures.
About 40 minutes later, the man was struck by a van. He was pronounced dead while being transferred to a nearby hospital. CCTV footage showed that at the time of the incident, the officers were sitting in their car across the street. The officers are currently under internal investigation over their handling of the intoxicated individual.
On Nov. 30 of last year, two police officers in Gangbuk District, Seoul, found an intoxicated man in his 60s sleeping on the street. They took him to his home but left him on the doorstep, without confirming whether he went inside.
At about 7:15 a.m. the next morning, the man was found dead by neighbors. Although the exact cause of death is unknown, some speculated that he may have frozen to death. Overnight, the capital had been hit by a cold snap with temperatures dropping to minus nine degrees Celsius.
According to the police station, the two officers who had taken the man home are now facing charges over alleged professional negligence resulting in death and injuries.
As public criticism mounts over law enforcement authorities' botched response to these incidents, National Police Agency chief Yoon Hee-keun vowed to come up with improved measures in order to prevent the recurrence of similar tragedies.
Yoon convened a meeting on Wednesday to discuss why the current measures failed to protect the victims. He called officers to improve procedures. Later that day, he visited Dongdaemun Police Station to assess current procedures for responding to intoxicated individuals.
"I offer my apologies to the bereaved families in relation to the recent incidents. We will establish feasible improvement measures in response to calls that the existing ones are insufficient," he told reporters as he left the station.
Some police officers criticized the absence of clear procedural guidelines regarding the handling of intoxicated people.
Under the current laws, officers are obliged to "protect" intoxicated individuals who may inflict harm on themselves or other people. However, there are no specific measures or guidelines on how they should offer assistance.
In some U.S. states, the police can place intoxicated persons in "protective custody" if they endanger the safety of themselves or others. They can be taken to a hospital, treatment centers or even jail to sober up. Whether the police can transport the individual without his or her consent depends on the laws of the state.
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