"Weakening of Police Field Response and Investigation Expertise Due to Insufficient Training"

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] It has been argued that the reason for the weakened on-site response capability and investigative expertise of the police is due to insufficient training.

Dr. Kyungseok Oh of the Police University’s Institute of Public Security Policy stated at the academic forum on institutional reform directions to strengthen police on-site response capability held on the 30th, "The training period for new police officers is only eight months, and for those recruited as lieutenants through open competition, it is one year. These periods should be gradually extended to enhance expertise."

At the event where he presented on the topic of "Reform Directions for Police Recruitment System and Training," Dr. Oh said, "The cause of the weakened on-site response capability of the Korean police lies in the extremely short training period and the lack of practical and hands-on training," adding, "A comprehensive reform of police education is necessary." As a short-term improvement measure, he proposed the introduction of a 'fast-track investigative police system,' which selects police officers with field experience and appoints them as lieutenants after one year of intensive investigative training.

For the mid- to long-term, Dr. Oh suggested a complete transition from recruiting at the patrol officer level to recruiting at the lieutenant level, similar to Germany, and requiring completion of a four-year degree program. He said, "The issue of insufficient educational resources can be resolved through collaboration with universities nationwide that have police-related departments and their curricula."

Before Dr. Oh’s presentation, Katja Kruse, Head of International Cooperation at the German Ministry of the Interior, introduced the successful case of police education reform in Germany. She explained that in Germany, the training period for patrol officers is 30 months, and those entering at the lieutenant rank complete a three-year bachelor's degree program. To this end, 16 state governments operate educational institutions similar to Korea’s Police University.

Kruse particularly noted that in six states, including North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), since the early 2000s, all police officers have been recruited at the lieutenant rank or higher, and lieutenants are required to complete a bachelor's degree program. This change originated from a survey conducted by a private consulting firm (Kienbaum) commissioned by the NRW state government in 1991. The Kienbaum report concluded that "police work at the security field, which requires high judgment and expertise, is excessively undervalued, and therefore police ranks and salaries should be raised."

Meanwhile, at the forum, heads of police education institutions, field police officers, academic experts, and police trainees attended. Police University President Chulgu Lee, in his welcoming remarks, said, "As public expectations for the police’s role in on-site response and investigation increase, the German police’s education and recruitment system offer significant implications for us," emphasizing, "The cost of training police officers with excellent capabilities is a great investment for a safer and fairer future society."

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