Emergency Responders and Police Struggle with Intoxicated Individuals: "Active Measures Needed"

246 Cases of Intoxicated Individuals Assaulting Paramedics Last Year
Police Handle an Average of 1,022 Drunkard Reports Daily
"Collaboration Needed Among Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Personnel Management, and Related Agencies"

On the 2nd, at a convenience store located in Guro-gu, Seoul, a man in his 30s, Mr. A, who was intoxicated, ate chocolate without paying and ran away. When Mr. A returned, he began causing a disturbance in the convenience store. The police, who were called to the scene, engaged in a physical struggle with the intoxicated man as soon as they entered the store. During this process, a police officer in his 50s fell and was trapped among the crowd. He was pinned down for more than 10 seconds and was eventually transferred to the hospital's intensive care unit.

In June last year, at a restaurant located in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, Mr. B (83), who was intoxicated, was injured after losing control due to his drunkenness. Firefighters who arrived at the scene approached to help Mr. B, but were met with punches. Mr. B assaulted the firefighters, refusing to go to the hospital because he was drunk. Even during the ambulance transfer, Mr. B hit the firefighters' faces and upper bodies. Mr. B was prosecuted and fined 3 million won for obstructing emergency activities.

Paramedics and police officers are suffering from verbal abuse and assault by intoxicated individuals. Since the violence of intoxicated persons makes rescue and situation resolution more difficult, there are calls for related agencies to actively establish a system that can support firefighters and police officers.

According to the National Fire Agency on the 6th, there were a total of 246 cases last year where paramedics were assaulted by intoxicated individuals during rescue activities. This number has been steadily increasing, with 183 cases in 2019 and 203 cases in 2021.

Firefighters have long suffered from the violence of intoxicated individuals, with a 2009 survey showing that 95.32% of respondents had experienced verbal abuse during rescue activities. In 2018, a female paramedic in Iksan-si, Jeonbuk, who was assaulted by an intoxicated person during emergency activities, suffered severe stress and eventually died from a cerebral hemorrhage.

The situation is similar for the police. Officers complain that most of their work involves dealing with intoxicated individuals. The police handled an average of 1,022 intoxicated person reports per day last year. Officer C (30), who works at a police substation in Anseong, Gyeonggi-do, said, "When we respond to assault reports in entertainment districts, the intoxicated individuals are already agitated," adding, "Since communication is impossible, we are often exposed to dangerous situations while trying to restrain them." Officer C also expressed regret, saying, "There are no proper measures for the police, which is even more unfortunate."

Limitations of Punishment in Solving Intoxicated Persons’ Violence... Need for Budget Investment by Related Agencies

While the violence of intoxicated individuals clearly hinders the work of firefighters and police, the measures taken are criticized as ineffective. The fire department has a special fire judicial police unit to respond to assaults on firefighters. However, this only punishes intoxicated individuals who have already lost their reason, which is a limitation. Commissioner Yoon Hee-geun of the National Police Agency stated that a cooperative system with related agencies would be established to respond to intoxicated individuals. However, there are only 21 emergency medical centers nationwide capable of accepting intoxicated individuals. Hospitals are reluctant to accept them from the police, making system establishment difficult.

Experts suggest that a system to respond to intoxicated individuals should be created under a government-wide initiative. Professor Lee Woong-hyuk of the Department of Police Science at Konkuk University said, "Until now, the easy method of strong punishment has been chosen, and responsibility has been left only to the police," adding, "All related agencies involved in responding to intoxicated individuals, including emergency institutions, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Personnel Management, and local governments, should invest budgets together to protect public officials."