"Beaten and Arrested, Then Sued"... 3,543 Police Officers Dismissed in One Year

Stress from managing intoxicated individuals... Rapid increase in employees taking leave

The number of police officers who completely leave the organization or take a leave of absence is increasing every year. Although their treatment is not significantly different from other public servant organizations, the overwhelming stress from public-facing duties is cited as the main cause.

According to data submitted by the National Police Agency to Jeong Woo-taek, a member of the People Power Party on the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, the number of police retirees by year increased from 2,421 in 2018 to 2,305 in 2019, 2,509 in 2020, and 3,048 in 2021. Last year, the number of retirees was 3,543 in 2022, marking a 46.3% surge over four years compared to 2018.

By rank, the number of retired police inspectors, whose numbers increased due to expanded seniority promotions, surged from 945 in 2018 to 2,400 last year. Retirees classified as non-executive officers, including patrol officers, corporals, and sergeants, also increased from 126 to 177 during the same period.

The increase in retirements among young police officers who have been on the force for only a few years is analyzed to be influenced by stress from dealing with complaints and low salary levels. Corporal A from a police station in Seoul said, "Many fellow officers suffer physical assault from intoxicated individuals and report psychological trauma. Sometimes I wonder, 'Did I become a police officer for this?'" He added, "There are cases where the arrested person legally responds when detained for obstructing official duties. Even if they are eventually cleared, the stress until then is severe."

The number of officers on leave increased from 2,713 in 2018 to 3,305 in 2019, 3,723 in 2020, 4,014 in 2021, and 4,686 in 2022, a 72.7% increase over four years.

Representative Jeong said, "The sharp increase in retirees after the end of COVID-19 may be related to frontline police officers' working conditions or poor treatment. The Commissioner of the National Police Agency must promptly and precisely diagnose the situation and devise countermeasures."

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