Changes in Public Safety Environment Accelerated by COVID-19... Police Take Steps to Develop Future Strategies

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The police have embarked on preparing future policing strategies in line with the changes in the security environment accelerated by COVID-19.

On the 25th, the National Police Agency held the inauguration ceremony of the Police Future Vision Committee at the agency's main courtyard and appointed KAIST President Kwang-Hyung Lee as the chairman, along with 15 experts from various fields as committee members. The police explained the background of the committee's launch, stating, "The speed and amplitude of changes in the security environment, such as social structural changes including low birth rates and super-aging, and the acceleration of digital transformation due to COVID-19, have transformed in ways incomparable to before, necessitating in-depth consideration and discussion on future policing strategies." They added, "We want to diagnose the current police security capabilities from the perspectives of the public and experts, moving beyond internal views, and establish directions and strategies for the police going forward."

The Police Future Vision Committee includes many selected individuals considering their careers in fields such as science and technology, cyber threats, and talent development, according to the police. The committee members will be divided into two subcommittees: 'New Normal Policing' and 'Organizational Structure Innovation.' The New Normal Policing subcommittee will focus on discussing ways to implement scientific policing using new technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and autonomous driving, as well as digital ethics. The Organizational Structure Innovation subcommittee will concentrate on talent development, education systems, and restructuring future-oriented organizational frameworks.

The National Police Agency and the Future Vision Committee plan to prepare and announce a comprehensive 'Police Future Vision' plan by June. The established plan will be used for future revisions of laws and systems related to police activities and the development of security equipment. After the Police Future Vision is established, the National Police Agency intends to maintain continuous consultation and cooperation with each committee member throughout the implementation of detailed tasks.

At the appointment ceremony, Chairman Lee stated, "Security issues are an important area closely related to maintaining social peace and order and improving the quality of life for the public," adding, "We will proactively respond to new social instability factors to prepare science and technology-based security policies." National Police Agency Commissioner Chang-ryong Kim said, "Based on expert insight, we will spare no support to enable discussions that go beyond the existing framework of security," and added, "We will transform into an organization that leads the future, not one driven by change, to firmly protect public safety."

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