A City Urgently Fights the War on Drugs... The National Forensic Service Faces 'Work Overload' These Days

A Record High of 68,066 Cases This August
Average Response Time Also Increasing

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Byung-don] Although the police have declared a so-called "war on drugs" while calling for the eradication of drug crimes, it has been revealed that investigations are facing difficulties.

In drug-related crimes, charges can only be applied if the substances found at the scene are confirmed to contain drug components. The police mostly request examinations from the National Forensic Service (NFS). After a preliminary reagent test shows a positive reaction, a detailed examination is requested from the NFS.

The problem is that recently, due to the overburdened workload at the NFS, this detailed examination process has been delayed. According to a compilation of Asia Economy's coverage, the number of forensic examinations processed by the NFS from July to October this year was 257,721 cases, averaging 64,430 cases per month.

This figure represents about a 16% increase compared to the average of 55,417 cases during the same period in 2019. Compared to 49,969 cases in the same period in 2020, it surged by 29%. The average for the same period last year was 55,304 cases, similar to the 2019 level.

Since May this year, it has been confirmed that more than 60,000 requests per month have been submitted to the NFS for six consecutive months. In particular, August saw a record high of 68,066 cases.

As the workload at the NFS has increased, the response time for detailed examinations requested by the police has also lengthened. The response time, which was 9.1 days in 2019 and 2020, increased to 10 days last year, and the average response time this year is expected to be even longer.

Given this situation, the difficulties faced by police officers who must continue investigations on the ground are also growing. An investigator at a frontline police station in Seoul said, "Unless it is a major case covered by the media, we proceed with investigations assuming a wait of at least 2 to 3 weeks," adding, "Since COVID-19, there have been many more incidents and accidents, so the workload at the NFS must have increased a lot. It's frustrating, but I guess it can't be helped."

In fact, last month, the police began an investigation after drug components were detected in an electronic cigarette found as lost property in a taxi in Seoul, but the investigation was delayed because the specific drug components could not be identified until the NFS's detailed examination results were released.

This trend is expected to continue for the time being. While arrests of drug offenders are increasing due to the police's focused crackdowns, the NFS has limitations in manpower. The number of drug-specialized researchers at the NFS did not increase for two consecutive years in 2020 and 2021, and it was confirmed that only two additional personnel were added this year.