Seongdong-gu, All-Out Effort to Prevent Indiscriminate Crimes

Expansion of CCTV and Establishment of Safety Security Officers in Seongdong-gu to Prevent Indiscriminate Crimes: 13 Projects in 4 Major Areas... Strengthening Joint Patrols with Volunteer Crime Prevention Teams and Seongdong Police Station, Establishment of Safety Security Officers

Autonomous crime prevention squad members patrolling the Seongdong-gu area

Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jeong Wono) is making every effort to strengthen the resident safety network by establishing a ‘Basic Plan for the Prevention and Response to Indiscriminate Crimes’ in response to growing public anxiety due to recent successive indiscriminate crimes and copycat crimes.

Seongdong-gu is focusing on 13 projects in four major areas: ▲ strengthening safety patrols and securing public order ▲ expanding CCTV installation and integrated monitoring ▲ investigating dangerous areas and improving spaces ▲ supporting safe living and managing mental health patients.

First, to ensure residents’ safe daily lives, the district is strengthening patrols in every corner to build a seamless safety net. Since August 25, the newly organized park patrol team has been conducting intensive patrols during morning and nighttime hours without gaps on weekends and holidays, focusing on seven routes across five mountainous parks including Maebongsan and Eungbongsan. Additionally, the newly launched Seongdong-style Safety Guardians will further strengthen patrols throughout Seongdong-gu, including parks, trails, and densely populated areas.

Along riversides such as Jungnangcheon and Cheonggyecheon, which serve as residents’ resting and exercise spaces, two-person patrol teams will protect residents’ safety. In particular, joint patrols between Seongdong Police Station and the Autonomous Crime Prevention Unit will be expanded, adding less frequented alleys, hiking trails, and crowded places to existing patrol routes.

Furthermore, Seongdong-gu plans to significantly increase the number of crime prevention CCTVs and reduce blind spots through performance improvements. Since 2017, through the ‘The Safety Innovation Project,’ a total of 3,771 crime prevention CCTVs have been installed, and the district was the first to establish a smart city integrated platform that shares CCTV footage in real time with related agencies such as the district office, police station, and fire station. As of the end of last year, Seongdong-gu ranked first among Seoul’s 25 districts with 226 crime prevention CCTVs installed per square kilometer.

Noting that crime scenes often occur where there are no CCTVs, Seongdong-gu plans to install additional CCTVs in blind spots such as hiking trails, parks, near Yongdap Jeonnongcheon, and entrances to public restrooms, and replace 96 outdated CCTVs.

Regarding the status of intelligent CCTVs in Seongdong-gu, about 33.3% (1,383 out of 4,191) are intelligent CCTVs. Although this is somewhat higher than Seoul’s average of 26.7%, the district plans to sequentially replace non-intelligent CCTVs with intelligent ones and introduce intelligent selective monitoring capable of identifying crowds to further increase the proportion of intelligent CCTVs.

Previously, Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) was applied mainly in secluded areas such as alleys; now, it will also be applied to park trails and promenades, with design planning and construction underway. In addition, lifestyle-oriented safety projects such as ▲ Safe Return Scout Patrols ▲ Safety Home Sets for Single-Person Households ▲ Emergency Safety Bells for Single-Person Stores ▲ Emergency Support for Stalking Crime Victims will be expanded.

Self-Defense Training

From September to November, a survey on socially isolated and reclusive youth will be conducted, and prevention programs for isolated youth, including individual and group counseling and social skills training through the MZ Mind Counseling Center, will be actively operated. Management of severely mentally ill patients will also be strengthened through intervention and intensive case management tailored to individual service plans.

The recently opened Seongdong Life Safety Learning Center’s self-defense safety education has received strong resident support and will continue to be offered in the 2024 curriculum. Other lifestyle-oriented safety projects include ▲ a full survey and improvement of semi-basement houses ▲ expansion of safe walking school buses for commuting to and from school ▲ operation of resident life safety insurance.

Jeong Wono, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, stated, “We will focus on prevention and respond actively to ensure the safety of vulnerable groups, from infants to women and the elderly, guaranteeing residents’ safe lives 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”