Jeonnam Police Promote Improvements to Emergency Bell Malfunctions in Public Restrooms

Repeated Malfunctions Lead to Frequent Police Dispatches, Raising Concerns Over Delays in Emergency Response

Public Restroom Emergency Bell

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Chunsu] It has been revealed that about 65% of more than 5,000 emergency bell reports each year are due to malfunctions such as mistaken button presses, causing delays in other emergency dispatches.

The Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency and the Autonomous Police Committee announced on the 15th that, due to frequent malfunctions of emergency bells installed for crime prevention purposes in public restrooms and other locations, unnecessary police dispatches have been repeated. Therefore, starting from the 14th, they will carry out facility improvements through a comprehensive maintenance of emergency bells for about six months.

The emergency bell is a security device that dispatches police urgently when the button is pressed in an emergency situation. It is installed in a total of 3,304 locations such as public restrooms and parks, contributing to the safety of residents.

Until now, there were no regulations regarding the installation and management of emergency bells, but with the partial amendment of the 'Act on Public Restrooms, etc.' last July, new regulations were established mandating basic local government heads to ▲install emergency bells ▲conduct facility inspections.

Accordingly, the Jeonnam Police plans to analyze 112 emergency calls caused by emergency bell malfunctions and, after reviewing the current status, collaborate with local governments and other entities responsible for installing emergency bells to promote ▲emergency bell covers ▲false report warning signs ▲replacement with two-way communication emergency bells.

In addition, regarding the main causes of emergency bell malfunctions?such as ▲public restroom users mistaking the flush button for the emergency bell button ▲students’ pranks?they will conduct public awareness campaigns targeting residents and improve the system to prevent malfunctions in advance, enabling efficient use of emergency bells in urgent situations.

The head of the Life Safety Division of the Jeonnam Provincial Police Agency stated, “The installation of emergency bells itself provides psychological stability to residents and is expected to have a crime deterrent effect on criminals,” adding, “We will do our best to create a safe environment free from crime through continuous emergency bell inspections.”

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