[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Jo] In the future, it will be possible to immediately verify the identity of citizens who have collapsed or fallen asleep on the street due to intoxication on the spot. The recently highlighted institutional shortcomings in intoxicated person protection measures are also expected to be carried out more swiftly.
According to the police on the 15th, the National Police Agency plans to establish a mobile fingerprint identification system within this year. The mobile fingerprint identification system is a result of a scientific policing policy developed over four years since 2018 to ensure the safety of people in need of rescue, such as intoxicated individuals, elderly dementia patients, and protected children. When the fingerprints of the subject are re-scanned using a portable fingerprint scanner, identity verification becomes possible through an app installed on police smartphones used for official duties.
Once the system is established, identity verification can be done in real-time on-site without the need to go to a police station. Until now, if fingerprint recognition was required for identity verification, the police had to accompany the subject to the police station, district police office, or police box. Even when using paper fingerprint collection cards, the police officer had to go directly to the police station, so identity verification took a long time (usually 30 to 60 minutes).
The police expect that once this system is established, protection measures for people in need of rescue, such as intoxicated individuals, can be accelerated. Immediate protection requires prior identity verification, and it is anticipated that actions can be taken within the golden time through real-time fingerprint collection and search. According to the Police Officer Duty Execution Act, fingerprints can be collected from rescue subjects such as intoxicated persons without their consent. The police plan to distribute portable fingerprint scanners and other devices for implementing the system on-site by October this year and then proceed with pilot operations.
Meanwhile, as criticism has recently increased regarding negligence in protecting intoxicated individuals, the police have formed a related task force (TF) to devise alternatives. The National Police Agency formed the TF under the direction of Commissioner Yoon Hee-geun after a series of deaths occurred due to frontline police officers neglecting intoxicated citizens this month. The TF has acknowledged past inadequacies in protecting intoxicated individuals and is preparing specific manuals to strengthen intoxicated person protection.
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