Seoul City Builds Crime Prevention Infrastructure... Strengthening Security in Areas Dense with Single-Person Households

Autonomous Police Committee, City Design Policy Division, Seoul Police Agency, Autonomous Districts, Police Stations ... Strengthening Cooperation through 'Crime Prevention Design TF' Operation

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Autonomous Police Committee announced on the 27th that it will carry out the ‘Crime Prevention Infrastructure Construction Project’ in connection with the ‘Safe Living Design Project’ of the Design Policy Division to secure the safety of citizens’ residential areas and strengthen local security.

The purpose of this project is to improve the living environment of the increasing number of single-person households and to enhance citizens’ perception of safety. It corresponds to the safety sector among the five major anxieties?safety, disease, poverty, loneliness, and housing?that are the first pledge of the Mayor of Seoul.

Seoul City will form and operate a dedicated ‘Crime Prevention Design Task Force (TF)’ to create a synergistic effect among security, administration, and design. The TF will organically cooperate throughout the entire process from selecting project sites to construction and post-construction management to advance solutions.

The Crime Prevention Design TF includes the Seoul Metropolitan Autonomous Police Committee, Design Policy Division, Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, and the relevant autonomous districts and police stations. This is the first time Seoul City has established and formalized a cooperative system for crime prevention design projects and activities, which had previously been conducted individually, and a synergistic effect is expected. The dedicated TF plans to discover local issues through field surveys, improve the environment with customized solutions, and continuously manage the sites after construction.

Additionally, a ‘Safe Living Design Advisory Group’ composed of experts in criminal psychology, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), design, and architecture will be operated to analyze project sites and conduct sector-specific reviews. In particular, the Design Policy Division has accumulated experience since 2011 in promoting crime prevention design projects, and it is expected to create a synergistic effect by linking with the security expertise of the Seoul Metropolitan Autonomous Police Committee and Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

The project sites were selected through a public contest, choosing three locations (Guro 2-dong, Sillim-dong, Suyu 3-dong). These areas are densely populated by single-person households, and through thorough field and data investigations, problems will be identified and the environment will be intensively improved through customized local design solutions. A total of 11 autonomous districts applied for the contest, and to ensure fair evaluation, a selection committee composed of separate experts was formed. After assessing the necessity, effectiveness, and conducting on-site evaluations, three locations were finally selected.

Kim Hak-bae, Chairperson of the Autonomous Police Committee, stated, “Securing the safety of citizens’ residential areas prioritizes prevention. There is much to be done, including resident public hearings. We will firmly establish the crime prevention infrastructure project to eliminate the anxiety factors citizens feel in their residential areas and improve their perception of safety.” Joo Yong-tae, Head of the Culture Headquarters, said, “We will leverage the know-how accumulated through the Safe Living Design Project to work with the Autonomous Police Committee to create an environment where single-person households can live more safely and securely.”

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