[Exclusive] Each Investigator Handles 27.6 Cases... Police Already Overloaded

If the Prosecutors' Office Is Abolished, Police Burden Will Likely Increase
Heavier Workload and Threats to Investigation Reliability
Experts Urge "Immediate Increase and Optimization of Personnel"

With the abolition of the Prosecutors' Office scheduled for next year, it has been confirmed that each police investigator is currently handling an average of 27.6 cases. Experts warn that without additional personnel and organizational reinforcement, the heavy workload for police officers will intensify, and the reliability of investigations could be compromised.

According to data received by Democratic Party lawmaker Mo Kyungjong's office from the National Police Agency on October 2, the average number of cases per investigator was 28.5 in June last year and only slightly decreased to 27.6 as of August this year. By region, the average number of cases per investigator increased in Ulsan from 20.3 to 24.0, in Gwangju from 29.2 to 30.9, in North Chungcheong Province from 28.5 to 31.5, and in South Chungcheong Province from 27.9 to 30.0.

By category, the average number of cases in the intelligence and women & youth divisions increased from 13.8 to 17.9, and from 7.4 to 8.7, respectively. The intelligence division saw significant increases in Daejeon (16.2 to 28.9), Gwangju (13.9 to 23.0), Northern Gyeonggi (17.8 to 22.4), North Chungcheong Province (16.0 to 19.4), and Gangwon (11.7 to 19.3). The women & youth division also saw increases in Seoul (7.2 to 8.2), Southern Gyeonggi (8.9 to 9.9), Northern Gyeonggi (8.7 to 11.1), South Chungcheong Province (9.8 to 12.4), and Jeju (9.2 to 11.7). Meanwhile, the number of criminal and traffic cases per investigator slightly decreased, but the number of violent crime cases in some regions actually increased.

Frontline police investigators are still assigned as many as 40 to 50 cases, or at least 20 to 30 cases at a time, leading to significant work overload. After the 2021 adjustment of investigative authority between the police and the prosecution, the authority to initiate investigations for most cases-except for six major crimes such as corruption, economic crimes, public officials, elections, defense procurement, and major disasters-was transferred to the police. In addition, following the revision of investigative regulations in November 2023, the police can no longer refuse to accept complaints or accusations, further increasing their burden.

The concern is that, after the abolition of the Prosecutors' Office, the scope of police investigations will expand. Until now, major institutions such as the National Assembly, National Tax Service, Korea Customs Service, Financial Services Commission, Fair Trade Commission, Korea Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), and the Securities and Futures Commission have exercised exclusive rights to file criminal complaints with the prosecution for certain crimes. However, if the Prosecutors' Office is abolished, the police may be responsible for these cases as well. As the scope of authority expands without an increase in personnel, there are concerns that the burden on the field will inevitably become even heavier.

Experts emphasize the need to increase the number of investigative personnel. Oh Yoonseong, a professor in the Department of Police Administration at Soonchunhyang University, stated, "In the past, the police only had to decide whether to refer or not refer cases to the prosecution, but after the adjustment of investigative authority, if the prosecution requests supplementary investigation, the case is returned to the investigator." He added, "If the issue of police investigation overload continues after the abolition of the Prosecutors' Office, increasing personnel may become necessary."

Lee Yunho, a distinguished professor in the Department of Police Studies at Korea Cyber University, said, "The total number of police officers is not absolutely insufficient compared to other countries," and suggested, "The police should reduce the number of administrative positions and increase the number of officers available for field investigations to improve personnel efficiency."

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