Nowon-gu Deploys 'Security Officers' at Community Service Centers

Nowon-gu Expands Deployment of ‘Security Guards’ at Community Service Centers on the Frontline of Public Administration Services

Dedicated Security Staff ‘Security Guards’ Expanded from 1 to a Total of 4 Locations

High Satisfaction Shown in Employee Survey Following Last Year’s Pilot Project in Hagye 1-dong

Handles Tasks Such as Building Security, Guiding Visitors, Controlling Unauthorized Removal of Records, Preventing Theft, and Patrolling Inside and Outside the Building

Summer 1-dong Safety Security Officer

Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it will expand the deployment of dedicated security staff called ‘Security Guards’ to protect employees at community service centers on the frontline of civil complaints and the visitors who come to them.

According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, illegal acts by civil petitioners such as verbal abuse, assault, and sexual harassment against public officials have been rapidly increasing every year, with approximately 38,000 cases in 2019, about 46,000 in 2020, and around 52,000 in 2021. In fact, last year, a total of 167 malicious complaints occurred at Nowon-gu community service centers.

In response, in July 2021, the district selected Hagye 1-dong, where malicious complaints mainly occurred at the time, as a pilot project site and deployed one dedicated security staff member called a ‘Security Guard.’ This was intended to reduce the psychological burden on employees and improve the quality of complaint response services by boosting morale.

During the first two months after the project started, the Security Guard in Hagye 1-dong handled eight cases of malicious complaints, including calming petitioners and ordering them to leave the premises. A survey conducted among Hagye 1-dong employees showed that the majority wished for the project to be expanded, agreeing that the presence of the Security Guard alone had a significant effect.

Accordingly, on the 1st of this month, the district additionally selected three neighborhoods with frequent malicious complaints and a large number of welfare recipients?Wolgye 2-dong, Hagye 1-dong, Junggye 2 and 3-dong, and Sanggye 3 and 4-dong?and deployed Security Guards at a total of four locations.

They handle tasks such as building security, guiding visitors, controlling unauthorized removal of records, preventing theft, and patrolling inside and outside the building.

The Security Guards wear uniforms and work on-site during the community service centers’ operating hours, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. To ensure a safer working environment, they are selected from individuals who have completed security training, have no disqualifications under Article 10 of the Security Services Act, and have no history of sexual or other criminal offenses.

Meanwhile, in April last year, the district enacted the Ordinance on the Protection and Support of Public Officials in Charge of Civil Complaints in Nowon-gu, Seoul, establishing measures to provide practical support to affected employees.

Additionally, to enable immediate response to malicious complaints, the district collaborates with related agencies such as the police station to conduct biannual (first and second half of the year) mock drills. In the first half of this year, the Civil Complaints Division and 19 neighborhoods formed emergency response teams including a command and control team, evidence collection team, visitor evacuation guidance team, and victimized public official rescue team, and completed joint police mock drills.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, stated, “Malicious complaints involving verbal abuse and assault cause harm not only to employees but also to residents, so prevention is crucial. We will continue to carefully protect and provide practical support to frontline civil complaint staff, who are the face of our district, to enhance the quality of administrative services.”

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