Police Agency to Increase Female Ratio by Department... Establishes 'Comprehensive Gender Equality Plan'

Including the Promotion of 'Worabel' and Strengthening Sexual Violence Prevention Education

Police Agency building.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] The National Police Agency is setting targets for departments with low female representation and working to increase the proportion of female police officers.

According to the police on the 12th, the National Police Agency recently established the "2021?2024 Comprehensive Plan for Gender Equality Goals by Police Functions and Agencies." Among the 19 departments within the National Police Agency (9 bureaus and 10 offices), six departments have a female police officer ratio of 11.1% (one-ninth) or less: the Security Bureau, Public Safety Information Bureau, Investigation Planning and Coordination Office, Investigation Bureau, Criminal Bureau, and the Spokesperson's Office.

Among these, the Security Bureau, with the lowest female ratio at 2.9%, set its 2024 target at 5.8%. The Spokesperson's Office, with a female ratio of 4.5%, set its 2024 target at 13.5%, marking the largest increase in target among the six departments.

Additionally, the National Police Agency presented tasks such as creating a work environment that guarantees work-life balance and eradicating sexual crimes within the organization to improve the gender equality index. Specific plans include minimizing contact with employees on annual leave and providing counseling for employees on parental leave regarding their difficulties.

Sexual harassment and sexual violence prevention education to eradicate sexual crimes will also be conducted more thoroughly. The current completion rate of prevention education among National Police Agency employees is 81.7%, and the goal is to raise it to 91.0% by 2024. The National Police Agency plans to regularly check whether the plan is properly implemented.

A police official said, "Gender equality within the police organization, which has frequent contact with the public, is even more important," adding, "Increasing the proportion of female police officers in departments with very few women will also help improve public security services."

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