Three Years of Autonomous Police System Implementation, Citizen Direct Participation in Public Safety Policy
Last Year, 25 Teams Piloted Targeting Residents of Nam and Suyeong Districts
The Busan Metropolitan Autonomous Police Committee (Chairman Jeong Yonghwan) will expand the 'Busan Companion Dog Patrol,' which was piloted from October to December last year in Nam-gu and Suyeong-gu districts, to four autonomous districts (Busanjin-gu, Nam-gu, Suyeong-gu, Sasang-gu) this year, following strong public response.
The 'Busan Companion Dog Patrol' is a citizen-participation policing policy that combines crime prevention patrol activities with companion dog walking, amid the recent continuous increase in pet ownership.
The committee is recruiting participants from May 17 to May 10 for companion dog owners residing in four Busan autonomous districts (Busanjin-gu, Nam-gu, Suyeong-gu, Sasang-gu), and applications can be submitted through the Companion Dog Patrol website.
Applicants will be finally selected through a first-round document screening and a second-round practical test (including the ability of the companion dog to follow commands), and the selected patrol members will begin activities from May 20.
Patrol members will conduct routine walks with their companion dogs while inspecting potential hazards throughout their residential areas. If they discover crime risks or emergency situations, they will report to 112 to prompt immediate response, and report facility damages such as streetlights or fences, as well as daily inconveniences, to 120 to induce corrective actions.
The goal of operating this patrol is to expand the 'eyes on the street' in citizens' daily lives to prevent potential crime factors by acting as crime reporters, and it is expected to contribute to voluntary citizen participation in public safety activities and the establishment of a proper dog-walking culture.
The Busan Metropolitan Autonomous Police Committee plans to create an application to share hazards or suggestions discovered during patrol activities for monitoring purposes and to reflect them in public safety policies for regional safety. After the operation ends, they will analyze the effectiveness of the project through surveys of participants and local residents and plan to expand the 'Busan Companion Dog Patrol' throughout Busan.
Jeong Yonghwan, Chairman of the Busan Metropolitan Autonomous Police Committee, stated, "We will operate the Companion Dog Patrol thoroughly to revitalize community policing activities involving citizens. We hope for active interest and participation from the public," adding, "We will continue to discover autonomous police public safety policies through the linkage of policing administration and local administration."
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