[2020 National Audit] Eunju Lee "Animal Abuse Increased Over 10 Times... Police Investigation Manual Inadequate"

The suspect in the so-called 'Gyeongui Line Forest Cat Killing' case that occurred in July last year. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] As animal abuse incidents increase every year, concerns have been raised that the police's 'Animal Abuse Offender Investigation Manual' is inadequate for use in the field. The manual is criticized for containing only a simple listing of laws and general investigative precautions rather than early detection of abused animals and step-by-step response measures.

According to data submitted by the National Police Agency to Rep. Lee Eun-ju of the Justice Party, a member of the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, animal protection law violation cases, which numbered 69 in 2010, surged more than tenfold to 914 last year. The number of people booked by the police and sent to the prosecution increased by 1,147%, from 78 to 973 during the same period.

However, among the 3,360 people sent to prosecution for violating the Animal Protection Act over the past decade, only four were detained. Last year, there was not a single detention. This has led to growing demands for the police, as an investigative agency, to have expertise in animal abuse issues and actively pursue investigations.

Rep. Lee pointed out that the content of the animal abuse investigation manual distributed to frontline police stations by the National Police Agency in October 2016 is inadequate. The manual consists of five chapters, but it lacks various abuse cases and step-by-step response measures necessary for early response to animal abuse. Chapters 1 to 4 mainly consist of simple listings of current status and legal provisions.

Rep. Lee explained that the most important chapter, Chapter 5, "Precautions During Investigation," only covers basic principles such as the attitude of investigative police officers, the principle of prioritizing the safety of abused animals, knowledge of relevant laws, and evidence collection of abuse.

She added that this police manual is less comprehensive than overseas animal abuse investigation manuals as well as manuals from private organizations. For example, the 50-page manual from New Hampshire, USA, provides specific examples of various situations encountered by law enforcement during investigations and specifies types and signs of animal abuse along with recommended investigative procedures for each type.

Additionally, the manual produced in June this year by the domestic animal rights group Animal Freedom Union for the general public categorizes types of animal abuse, explains examples of abusive acts, real case studies, and characteristics, and introduces methods such as checklists to help determine abuse and isolation measures for abused animals.

Rep. Lee emphasized, "Although the Animal Protection Act has been amended five times since the investigation manual was created in 2016, the manual has never been updated. Since animals cannot testify to abuse situations themselves, securing circumstantial evidence and testimonies in the early response stage is essential."

She continued, "As abuse is increasing alongside the rise in the companion animal population, expert police investigations into animal abuse are needed. The investigation manual should be completely revised and included in police workplace training so that related education becomes mandatory."

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