Despite Strengthened Measures, 'Personal Protection' Failed Again... Even Inside, "A Foreseen Event"

[Asia Economy Reporters Seongpil Jo, Sehee Jang, Byungseon Gong] A police protection subject was again attacked with a weapon. This comes just one month after Police Commissioner General Kim Chang-ryong bowed his head and promised to prevent recurrence following a similar incident, and announced strengthened response measures. Among frontline police officers, there are comments that this was a "predictable event."

Protection Subjects Attacked Repeatedly Every Month

According to the police on the 31st, at around 10:50 a.m. on the 29th, a woman in her 40s, Ms. A, was stabbed multiple times with a weapon by a man in his 60s, Mr. B, who had previously cohabited with her, in front of an apartment in Hyomok-dong, Dong-gu, Daegu. Ms. A sustained serious injuries but is fortunately not in life-threatening condition. Police investigations revealed that Ms. A had been under police protection since September last year after breaking up with Mr. B due to his threatening behavior.

Ms. A had been issued a smartwatch. The police believe she was unable to use the smartwatch at the time of the incident. Mr. B is expected to be booked on charges of attempted murder. It is reported that Mr. B attempted an extreme act at his home immediately after the crime and is currently in critical condition.

Incidents of police protection subjects being attacked have occurred repeatedly recently. In November last year, a woman under protection was stalked and ultimately killed by her ex-boyfriend at her home in Jung-gu, Seoul, and on the 10th of last month, a family member of a woman under protection lost their life in Songpa-gu, Seoul. Despite the police repeatedly bowing their heads and strengthening response measures for protection cases, similar incidents have recurred within a month.

Commissioner Kim Chang-ryong of the National Police Agency [Photo by Yonhap News]

Police Improvement Measures Foreseen as Ineffective

Earlier, on the 30th of last month, the National Police Agency announced the 'Comprehensive Plan to Strengthen Police Field Response Capability,' which included improvements to protection measures. Facing public criticism following the death of a stalking victim in Seoul, the task force for strengthening field response reviewed and proposed improvements to the crime victim protection system. According to the improvement plan at the time, the police would classify the victim's risk level as very high, high, or normal and implement protection measures accordingly. The measures included installing AI CCTV, issuing smartwatches, and customized patrols at each stage.

However, on the ground, there were comments that these were merely superficial gestures. One police officer said, "Even if a report comes through the smartwatch, from the perspective of dispatch, it is no different from other general reports," adding, "Even if we try to be more attentive and respond quickly, if we are handling other reports, delays are inevitable." Another officer said, "Because it is not close monitoring, there is nothing we can do if something happens before we arrive," and "We strengthen patrols regularly, but we cannot stay constantly by the side of protection subjects."

"Even if manpower and budget increase, it's barely enough..."

Inside the police, there are calls for urgent establishment of effective measures. Currently, there is a severe shortage of dedicated personnel to respond effectively to protection measures. It is known that the number of protection measures issued last year exceeded 20,000. With 20,000 annual protection measures nationwide across 257 police stations, this means each station must protect about 80 individuals.

Internally, the use of private security companies is being mentioned as an alternative. The idea is that private security firms selected and designated by the police would handle routine protection, with part of the cost borne by the state. A police officer who requested anonymity said, "Protecting protection subjects is an issue where manpower and budget are barely sufficient," and warned, "Without increasing personnel and budget, if ineffective policies continue as they are, attacks on protection subjects will inevitably be repeated."

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