[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Jo] The police have initiated improvements to the reception and processing procedures to guarantee the public's right to file complaints and accusations and to ensure swift case handling.
According to the police on the 9th, the National Police Agency is considering a plan to reform investigation procedures so that all cases are accepted and processed regardless of the content of complaints or accusations. This measure comes in response to ongoing criticism that public inconvenience has been caused by an increasing number of cases where the reception of complaints or accusations is refused or returned.
On the 21st, when the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Police System Improvement Advisory Committee is scheduled to announce recommendations for police control measures, the police flag is fluttering in the wind at the National Police Agency in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Police System Improvement Advisory Committee will announce the recommendations on this day. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
If the procedures are improved, the 'return system' that has been in operation since 2006 will inevitably need to be revised. The police have operated this system to prevent the indiscriminate abuse of complaints and accusations, such as the criminalization of civil cases. After one improvement in 2021 following the adjustment of investigative authority between the prosecution and police, cases are currently returned only when a written consent form prepared by the complainant is received.
However, currently, about 1.7 million cases are processed annually, with 120,000 of them being returned. If all complaints and accusations are accepted in the future, there are concerns that the workload will increase and overall case processing may be further delayed. Accordingly, both inside and outside the police have consistently suggested that it is necessary to improve the system by activating measures such as deferred prosecution after reception to promptly close cases that lack public interest or investigative necessity.
Within the police, voices have emerged regarding the introduction of deferred prosecution, emphasizing the need to comprehensively consider factors such as victim restoration and public interest in minor crimes rather than uniformly registering suspects when there is an allegation. Major countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan have already activated systems that do not register minor crimes but close cases with warnings or admonitions.
The police plan to prepare a review plan for improving the complaint and accusation reception procedures, including these contents, and to revise the police investigation regulations and criminal procedure regulations within the first half of this year. A National Police Agency official said, "We are reviewing various improvement measures to resolve public inconvenience and ensure swift case handling."
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