[Exclusive] 20,000 Won Allowance for Handling Complaints and Accusations Canceled... Concerns Over Increased Police Investigation Avoidance

Investigation Department Avoidance Expected to Deepen
From This Year, 'Monthly Investigation Expense' Raised from 137,000 KRW to 149,000 KRW
Experts Say "Impact of Investigation Authority Adjustment... Need to Increase Investigation Police Personnel"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Jang Sehee and Cho Sungpil] The police's plan to pay a 20,000 KRW allowance per case to prevent the accelerated avoidance of investigative departments following the adjustment of investigative authority has fallen through. Concerns are rising that case processing will slow down further amid the increased workload on the police after the implementation of the "complete removal of prosecution's investigative authority" (Geomsu Wanbak) law last year.

◆ '20,000 KRW allowance payment' canceled = According to related government departments including the National Police Agency, Ministry of Economy and Finance, and Ministry of Personnel Management on the 3rd, the police's plan last December to pay a 20,000 KRW allowance per handled complaint or accusation case has been confirmed to have been canceled. Currently, investigative police officers receive up to 40,000 KRW per month per person.

A government official said, "The economy is very difficult, so ministers and vice ministers have returned their salaries, and the salaries of public officials at grade 4 and above have been frozen," adding, "Overall, the policy is to share the pain, so it was difficult to raise allowances for a specific occupation like the police." It was also reported that the police officers' pay was adjusted upward to the level of public security officials. Other than adjustments for those working below minimum wage, there were no notable allowance increases this year.

The National Police Agency stated that it is considering re-pushing the plan in the future. A police agency official said, "Ultimately, it was not reflected this time," and added, "Since revisions can be made once a year, we plan to review and promote it again."

On the other hand, the monthly investigation budget per case was confirmed to have slightly increased. This year's monthly investigation budget is 61.9 billion KRW, up 4.7 billion KRW from last year's 57.2 billion KRW. Accordingly, the monthly investigation budget per case will increase from the initial 137,000 KRW to 149,000 KRW. This budget is allocated not only to investigative police but also to all police officers involved in investigative activities, such as criminal investigation and women and youth departments. It can be freely used for transportation and meal expenses but requires receipts.

◆ Concerns over investigative police workload overload = Although the National Police Agency aims to speed up case processing and shed the image of an undesirable department, internal evaluations suggest even this has become difficult.

According to the "Case Processing Status" submitted by the National Investigation Headquarters to the National Assembly, the average number of cases handled per investigator in 2021 was 99.1. Investigative police officers at frontline stations in Seoul say they handle at least 10 cases per month. One investigative officer said, "When cases pile up, I handle up to 30 cases a month," adding, "For large-scale fraud cases, since there are many stakeholders, it can take more than a month to close one case."

Especially after the adjustment of investigative authority between the prosecution and police, the police have gained investigative authority over all crimes except six categories: corruption, economic public officials, elections, defense projects, large-scale disasters, and others, significantly increasing their workload. The average case processing period per police officer increased from 55.6 days in 2020 to 64.2 days in 2021. As of October last year, it extended to 66.7 days. Recently, the number of complaints and accusations filed by civic groups has also been increasing. Another investigative officer pointed out, "The structure does not allow for normal work conditions," and added, "The case processing allowance was canceled, and avoidance of investigative departments will worsen."

◆ Without manpower increase, only a temporary fix = The police workload overload is leading to public harm. Mr. Kim reported the CEO of his company last month for fraud to the police but received no contact for a week. Mr. Choi, accused of fraud in April last year, completed one phone investigation and reached a settlement with the victim but received no notification of results even after a month.

Professor Lee Woonghyuk of Konkuk University's Department of Police Science said, "After the adjustment of investigative authority between the prosecution and police, the police's investigative authority and scope have greatly expanded, but manpower has not increased significantly," adding, "Simply raising allowances and changing evaluation methods are only temporary measures; manpower must be supplemented to prevent delays in case processing."

Professor Kim Dowoo of Gyeongnam University's Department of Police Science said, "The police have been given primary investigative closure authority, making them fully responsible," and added, "Because there are no institutional measures to lighten this responsibility, avoidance of investigative departments is occurring." He further noted, "There is also the problem of insufficient funds for investigations," and suggested, "There should be a specialized investigative agency like the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), rather than an intermediate step between the prosecution and police."