[Public Servants' 'Emotional Labor' in the COVID Era] Drunkenness, Verbal Abuse, Assault, False Reports... Enduring Nights Amid Staff Shortages

A Night at the Police Precinct Two Drunk Individuals Require More Than One Dispatch Hospital Shortage Causes Delays in ER Transfers Staff Shortage Prompts Review of Work Methods On Site: "The Solution Is Increasing Manpower"

Police officers are making eye contact and dealing with an intoxicated person at a residential area in Hwayang-dong, Seoul. Photo by Intern Reporter Kim Young-won.

"Mister, you solve it. Why isn't the disaster relief fund coming out when I can't even make 10 won."

Around 9 p.m. on the 19th, police were dispatched to a house in Chang-dong, Seoul, following a report that "a daughter hit her father." Ms. A, a woman in her 50s living with an elderly couple, was already intoxicated and rambling to the police about the disaster relief fund. When asked if she had assaulted her father, she caused a disturbance, saying, "XX (curse) I pushed him, but I didn't hit him." The two officers who first arrived called for backup, and eventually eight officers restrained Ms. A. Seo Seong-yong, sergeant and team leader of the Chang-dong precinct of Dobong Police Station, said, "Citizens are neighbors we can meet again anytime, so we endure."

Officers Lee Heon-young and Choi Ri of the Hwayang precinct also responded to a call about an intoxicated person around 10 p.m. that day. The intoxicated individual, sitting against a wall in a narrow alley of Hwayang-dong, seemed to regain composure and engaged in conversation when the officers spoke to him. Officer Lee checked the person's gait and cautioned, "This is a narrow road and dark, so you should rest in a brighter place," and the situation was resolved. Officer Choi said, "In the past, if the intoxicated person was unconscious, we would transport them to the emergency room, but now, due to COVID-19, many hospitals do not accept them, so the time required for protective measures has increased."

Police officers are busy handling their duties at the Hwayang Police Substation of the Gwangjin Police Station in Seoul.
Photo by Kim Youngwon, Intern Reporter

Around the same time, a man who was verbally abusive while intoxicated was also detained at the Hwayang precinct. Police have been struggling with intoxicated individuals since the phased recovery from COVID-19 (With Corona). Officer Lee said, "Recently, the average number of nighttime reports per day has returned to 70 to 100, similar to pre-COVID-19 levels," adding, "New officers are struggling with the sudden increase in workload."

Reports of violations of quarantine rules are also a headache. When police respond to reports such as "a business that is supposed to be closed is operating," they often find that the business is actually permitted to operate. Complaints like "Why don't you crack down on the place I reported?" and "The police are biased" continue. Frontline officers say that increasing manpower is urgent to handle the increased workload and fatigue. Officer Choi of the Hwayang precinct said, "Hearing insults at the scene is less stressful when shared among four people instead of two. With more personnel, we can take turns responding." Sergeant Kim Hyun-bin of the Chang-dong precinct said, "For intoxicated individuals, 3 to 4 officers are needed instead of 2, and if a physically strong person causes a disturbance, even more officers are required."

The police are currently considering adding a late-night shift to the existing four teams working two shifts (day-night-off-rest), changing to five teams working three shifts. This is to reduce daytime personnel and increase nighttime personnel to meet security demands. While frontline officers generally welcome this, they agree that it must be accompanied by an increase in manpower.