As Murder and Robbery Decrease, Police Face Dilemma: "Improving Investigation Quality Is a Priority"

Violent Crimes Decrease for 5 Consecutive Years... Intelligent Crimes Exceed 300,000 Cases
Discussion on Integrating Gangsu-dae and Masu-dae
Experts Say "Rapid Response to Violent Crimes is Crucial... Investigation Quality Must Also Improve"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] As typical violent crimes such as murder and robbery decrease, the police are facing deep concerns over the allocation of detective personnel. Internally, integrating functions or partially adjusting detective personnel toward investigations is emerging as an alternative.

Murder and Robbery 'Violent Crimes' Decrease for 5 Consecutive Years... Intelligent Crimes Exceed 300,000 Cases

The number of violent crimes has decreased for five consecutive years. According to the National Police Agency on the 16th, violent crimes, which numbered 27,274 cases in 2017, recorded about 26,000 cases in 2018 and have decreased every year, reaching 22,676 cases in 2021. During the same period, the ratio of violent crimes to the resident registration population also dropped by 10 percentage points, from 52.7% to 43.5%.

Even considering the reduction in face-to-face activities due to the COVID-19 situation, the police explain that the trend is decreasing overall. Violent crimes include murder, attempted murder, robbery, rape, quasi-rape, and arson.

On the other hand, special economic crimes and intelligent crimes still occur between 50,000 and 300,000 cases, maintaining high demand for incident response. Special economic crimes have slightly decreased recently but consistently record 40,000 to 50,000 cases, while intelligent crimes, including fraud, embezzlement, and breach of trust, exceeded 400,000 cases in 2020.

A superintendent-level officer said, "Even at the frontline, the trend shows a decrease in violent crimes such as murder. Since they do not completely disappear, a minimum operational workforce must be maintained," but added, "There is an ongoing concern throughout the organization due to a continuous shortage of investigative personnel." Looking at last year's murder case status, an average of 160 to 180 cases occurred, but the arrest rate exceeded 90% in all cases.

The activation of CCTV is cited as a reason for the decrease in violent crimes. Detectives at frontline police stations explained, "Recently, CCTV has been well installed, and the arrest rate is very high, which seems to have contributed to the decline in violent crimes," but added, "However, impulsive crimes such as those committed by psychopaths are exceptions."

Plan to Integrate Violent and Drug Units... Adjustment of Investigation Personnel Also Considered

The police are promoting organizational restructuring to integrate the Violent Crime Investigation Unit and the Drug Crime Investigation Unit while separating the Anti-Corruption and Public Crime Investigation Unit. This is interpreted as an active response to the recent increase in drug-related cases. A Seoul Police Agency official said, "Typical violent crimes have decreased, but crimes combining domestic and international drugs, gambling, and voice phishing have increased, so we expect to achieve synergy in investigations through integrated operations."

At the frontline, while there is understanding about strengthening responses to drug crimes, there is a negative stance regarding the separation of anti-corruption units.

A frontline police officer in Seoul said, "Since drugs are easily accessible regardless of housewives or youth, it seems right to strengthen investigations before it spreads further." Another officer said, "Investigations into anti-corruption cases feel burdensome because they involve high-ranking public officials," adding, "Many cases are also transferred from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials."

Experts pointed out that it is not enough to consider only quantitative aspects. Professor Lee Woong-hyuk of Konkuk University's Department of Police Science said, "We should not consider only the decrease in violent crime occurrences. Currently, procedural fairness and the attitude of investigations are highly emphasized," arguing that the quality of investigations must be further improved. He added, "The problem is that the investigation part has no conditions to be fully engaged in their duties on-site," and emphasized, "Issues regarding personnel reinforcement by the National Police Agency and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety should be additionally discussed."

Professor Kim Do-woo of Gyeongnam University's Department of Police Science advised, "Rapid response is most important for violent crimes," warning, "If the response is reactive or personnel suddenly become insufficient, the damage can be significant." He stressed, "It is important to secure personnel who can be immediately deployed at the incident site."

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