‘Mapo Citizen Patrol’ Expanded from 2 to 8 Teams, Now 32 Members

Published 28 Jan.2020 07:00(KST)

From the 20th, expanded operation from 2 neighborhoods (Daeheung-dong, Seogyo-dong) to 8 neighborhoods with 32 members... Patrols in vulnerable areas such as school surroundings and parks, 4-person teams, 3 times a week from 8 PM

‘Mapo Citizen Patrol’ Expanded from 2 to 8 Teams, Now 32 Members

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Mapo-gu (Mayor Yudonggyun) announced that the 'Mapo Citizen Patrol,' which protects the safety of residents together with the residents, will be expanded from the existing 2 neighborhoods (Daeheung-dong, Seogyo-dong) to 8 neighborhoods starting from the 20th.

The 'Mapo Citizen Patrol' is one of the campaign pledges of the 7th local government administration, aiming for resident-participatory, community-based administration. It is an expanded organization and function of the existing 'Mapo-gu Autonomous Crime Prevention Unit,' which was operated to protect residents from various incidents, accidents, and crime risks. Since January last year, it was piloted five times a week in two neighborhoods, Daeheung-dong and Seogyo-dong.

As a result of the pilot operation, they prevented accidents by immediately handing over a person who was jaywalking while intoxicated to the local police station, found the owner of a lost wallet, and supported post-accident handling at traffic accident sites, achieving various significant and minor results.

Accordingly, this year, the patrol will be expanded to a total of 8 neighborhoods by adding Gongdeok-dong, Mangwon 1-dong, Mangwon 2-dong, Yeonnam-dong, Yeomni-dong, Yonggang-dong, and Eul to the existing 2 neighborhoods, operating three times a week.

The district aims to operate the 'Mapo Citizen Patrol' in all 16 neighborhoods by 2022.

The 'Mapo Citizen Patrol' focuses on patrolling crime-vulnerable areas such as parks, school surroundings, and densely populated residential areas to support residents' safe return home. To prevent crimes during vulnerable nighttime hours, the patrol operates for a total of 4 hours from 8 p.m. to midnight.

Additionally, in cooperation with the Mapo Police Station's local police units, they strive to minimize security gaps through regular joint patrols and support during emergencies. To prepare for urgent accidents, the district plans to provide CPR training to patrol members starting this year.

Park Ji-eun (pseudonym), a resident of Seogyo-dong, said, "On days when I get off work late due to night shifts, I was worried about the way home after leaving the subway station, but seeing the patrol members active makes me feel reassured."

Along with this, last year, the district operated an autonomous crime prevention patrol composed of foreigners in areas with a high foreign population such as Yeonnam-dong and Hongdae to overcome language and cultural differences during security activities. This helped resolve conflicts and grievances among foreigners and supported interpretation and environmental cleanup activities.

Yudonggyun, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, "Voluntary participation of local residents is essential to reduce blind spots in daily safety and to transform Mapo into a safe city," adding, "We expect the Mapo Citizen Patrol to become safety guardians protecting our neighborhood residents."