Senior Officers of Rank Superintendent and Above Begin 'Integrity Evaluation'... Police Accelerate Comprehensive Anti-Corruption Measures Implementation

Introduction of 'Police Station Chief Performance Evaluation System' in Police Regular Personnel Appointments
Reflecting the Average Integrity Score of the Past 3 Years
First Meeting of the 'Anti-Corruption Council' Scheduled This Month

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] The National Police Agency has begun a 'Integrity Evaluation' for senior officers at the rank of Chief Superintendent and above. This integrity evaluation is drawing attention as it is expected to be reflected in the personnel appointments for Chief Superintendents, including police station chiefs, anticipated in January next year.

According to the police on the 14th, the National Police Agency recently commissioned an external professional organization to conduct the '2020 Integrity Evaluation for Police Officers at Chief Superintendent Level and Above.' The evaluation targets approximately 550 officers at the Chief Superintendent level and above, and will be conducted through surveys by about 15,000 respondents, including their superiors, peers, and subordinates. The evaluation is conducted as an absolute assessment, with evaluation items including job integrity, efforts to practice integrity, and law-abiding behavior. Extreme data, such as assigning the lowest score to all items, will be excluded, and a 50% internal evaluation weighting will be applied to subordinate assessments.

The integrity evaluation for senior officers at the Chief Superintendent level and above was first introduced in 2013 and has been steadily conducted every year since. However, until now, the evaluation has only been used as a reference for personnel decisions. The reason this year's evaluation is attracting attention is that it is planned to be used as a key indicator in actual personnel appointments at the Chief Superintendent level. Last month, the National Police Agency announced an 'Anti-Corruption Comprehensive Plan,' stating that it would introduce a 'Police Station Chief Performance Review System' and a 'Regular Rotation Personnel System for Senior Officers at Chief Superintendent Level and Above.' These personnel systems will be applied starting from the regular police personnel appointments, as early as the end of this year or at the latest early next year.

In particular, the integrity evaluation is expected to play an important role in the review system that assesses all Chief Superintendent-level officers on the elements necessary for police station chiefs to verify whether they have the capabilities as field commanders, and excludes those deemed unqualified from police station chief positions. The police plan to reflect the average integrity scores over the past three years, including this year's evaluation. Furthermore, they are also considering improving the integrity evaluation, which has been conducted as an absolute assessment, to a relative assessment in the future.

The National Police Agency is also accelerating follow-up measures for the Anti-Corruption Comprehensive Plan. The appointment of the 'Anti-Corruption Council,' composed of external experts from academia, the legal community, and the media, who will be responsible for establishing and reviewing police anti-corruption policies, is reportedly in its final stages. A National Police Agency official stated, "We plan to complete the committee composition soon and hold the first meeting within this month."

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