Can the Culprit Be Caught?... 1,195 Police Cars Have Passed Their Service Life

7 out of 100 Police Cars Exceed Service Life
44% of Special Vehicles for Riot Control Also Aged
Jung Woo-taek: "Police Face Difficulties in Field Response"

Out of 100 police vehicles, 7 have been in operation for more than 8 years, exceeding their service life, raising urgent calls for replacement. The service life refers to the period during which a vehicle can be used without repairs.

According to data submitted by the National Police Agency to Jeong Woo-taek, a member of the People Power Party on the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee, 1,195 out of 16,690 police vehicles, or 7.1%, were introduced before 2014.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Among special vehicles, 135 out of a total of 303, or 44.5%, were brought in before 2014 and have been in operation for more than 8 years. Special vehicles include relay vehicles deployed during assemblies and demonstrations, and multipurpose transport vehicles used to carry explosive detection dogs.

According to the Public Procurement Service notice, the service life of most police vehicles, including suppression vehicles, buses, and passenger cars, is 8 to 10 years. Due to the nature of police work, concerns have been raised that the functional degradation of old vehicles cannot be ignored. Jeong Woo-taek stated, "Except for cases where the expired service life does not affect usage, since there are voices from the field complaining about difficulties in on-site response due to vehicle aging, the Commissioner of the National Police Agency should prioritize securing the related budget."

In a written response submitted by the National Police Agency, it was stated, "We are replacing vehicles that meet the replacement criteria every year, but there are many old vehicles that have not been replaced due to budget shortages caused by rising vehicle unit costs, causing difficulties in the field." The agency also added, "To achieve the national agenda of reducing ultrafine dust domestically and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions through the expansion of zero-emission vehicles, we will promote the transition to eco-friendly mobility."