Reward Amounts for the Same Crime Vary Widely by Police Station

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] It has been revealed that the reward money given to citizens who help catch criminals varies significantly by police station.

According to data submitted by the National Police Agency to Assemblyman Han Byung-do of the Democratic Party, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, the total reward money of 4.7 billion KRW paid by the National Police Agency from 2016 to June of this year was reviewed and paid by 270 local police offices nationwide, showing large discrepancies.

The reward money can be given to those who contribute to catching criminals and preventing terrorist crimes according to the Police Officer Duty Execution Act and regulations on rewards for contributions to criminal apprehension. According to the regulations, crimes punishable by death, life imprisonment, or imprisonment for 10 years or more are eligible for a reward of 300,000 KRW, among others.

Although there are regulations, due to limited budgets, the amounts vary greatly by police station. Last year, the highest payment was 3 million KRW in Gyeonggi Nambu, while the lowest was 200,000 KRW in Busan. In 2018, the highest payment was 2 million KRW in Gyeongbuk, but the lowest was only 100,000 KRW in Jeonbuk.

Since each station’s reward review committee makes individual judgments, even the same type of crime received different reward amounts. From January to June this year, the highest reward for a murder case was 1 million KRW in Gyeongnam. The recipient happened to discover bloodstains and requested a police search, contributing to the capture of a suspect who killed two family members and fled. On the other hand, the lowest payment was 300,000 KRW in Jeju. Despite the incident occurring late at night, the reward was given for providing CCTV footage that helped identify the suspect’s appearance.

Assemblyman Han said, "The reward money is the minimum compensation given to citizens who contribute to catching criminals," and pointed out, "Due to budget shortages and review and payment by each office, the specified payment standards themselves have become meaningless." He added, "The review of reward money should be expanded to the level of local police agencies, and appropriate budgets should be allocated to strive for more systematic execution."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.