[The Era of Autonomous Police Approaches] Customized Public Safety and Traffic Enforcement for Local Communities

<Part 1> Three Families Under One Roof, What Will Change?

Security and Intelligence: National Police
Investigation and Criminal Affairs: National Investigation Headquarters
Local Safety: Responsibility of Autonomous Police
Command Agencies Vary by Responsibility
Expectations for Prompt Reflection of Residents' Demands

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] "Three families under one roof."

This phrase succinctly describes the autonomous police system being introduced nationwide starting in July. Police officers working at metropolitan and provincial police agencies and police stations across the country, even if working in the same building, are supervised and commanded by three different organizations depending on their assigned duties. First, the administrative functions managing police affairs, the intelligence functions collecting security information, and the security functions handling counterterrorism and on-site management of assemblies are classified as "National Police" and are under the command of the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency. Various investigative divisions such as investigation, criminal, and cyber investigation, which have gained increased authority including primary investigative closure rights due to the adjustment of investigative powers, are classified as "Investigative Police" and follow the command of the National Investigation Headquarters.

At the center of this change is the autonomous police. The introduction of the autonomous police system was highlighted as a core part of "police reform," aiming to decentralize the expanded police powers following the adjustment of investigative authority. The autonomous police are supervised and commanded by the metropolitan/provincial autonomous police committee (Autonomous Police Committee), which consists of seven members including the chairperson. The committee members are composed of two recommended by the metropolitan/provincial council, one recommended by the National Police Commission, one recommended by the metropolitan/provincial superintendent of education, two recommended by the committee member nomination committee, and one appointed by the metropolitan/provincial governor. Since the autonomous police are under the command of the Autonomous Police Committee, which involves various local sectors, they are independent from the National Police and can establish and implement security policies that reflect the intentions of local governments.

The duties of the autonomous police cover a wide range closely related to residents' daily lives. These include protection and prevention tasks for resident safety within the region, emergency rescue support in case of safety accidents, guidance and crackdown on violations of social order?collectively referred to as "community safety" duties?as well as tasks related to "traffic activities" such as guidance and crackdown on traffic law violations and traffic safety promotion within the region. Additionally, investigations related to crimes closely connected to residents' lives, such as juvenile crimes including school violence, domestic violence and child abuse crimes, traffic-related crimes, and searches for missing children, are also the responsibility of the autonomous police. For example, investigations like the so-called "Jung-in case," which occurred last year and sparked national outrage, will now be handled by the autonomous police.

The reason autonomous police are attracting attention is the expectation that they can promote "regionally tailored security." First, a path is opened for residents' demands to be reflected more promptly. For instance, to install a speed enforcement camera in a specific area, the process previously involved six steps: reporting to the local police station → review by the metropolitan/provincial police agency → review by the relevant department of the National Police Agency → review by the budget department of the National Police Agency → review by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance → deliberation by the National Assembly. With the full implementation of the autonomous police, this process is drastically reduced to three steps: reporting to the police station → review by the metropolitan/provincial police agency → deliberation by the metropolitan/provincial government. In such cases, the installation period can be shortened from the existing 1?2 years to 6 months. The return of licenses by elderly drivers, which previously required application at the police station and receipt of transportation subsidies from local governments, can now be unified under local governments. A police official stated, "With the simplification of security policy review and implementation procedures, residents' demands can be reflected more swiftly, and policy monitoring by residents will also be revitalized."

Here, the role of the Autonomous Police Committee is crucial. To establish regionally tailored security policies, the committee must carefully examine local security matters. For this, gathering residents' opinions is essential. Professor Lee Woong-hyuk of Konkuk University's Department of Police Science suggested, "The new security paradigm centers on providing security services that local residents want," adding, "Citizens' demands should be realized as 'customized scientific security services' through the use and analysis of big data."

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