"Private Security Easing Anxiety" National Police Agency Holds Forum on Victim Protection Measures

"I am grateful to be able to return to an ordinary daily life."

On the 3rd, the National Police Agency held a forum titled "Measures to Protect Victims through Police-Civil Cooperation" with over 100 participants including academia, the security industry, and field police officers, in collaboration with the Korea Institute of Criminal Justice Policy, the Korean Women Lawyers Association, the Korea Security Association, and the Korean Security Management Society.

The forum was organized to share various cooperation cases and discuss future development plans based on the consensus that protecting the daily lives of crime victims requires efforts not only from the police but also from local governments, private companies, and various social members.

The presentations and discussions on the day were conducted in three sessions. First, in Session 1, Park Junsung, Director of the Women's Safety Planning Division at the National Police Agency, gave a presentation titled "Operation Performance and Future Tasks of the Private Security Support Project for High-Risk Crime Victims." Lee Eunyoung (a pseudonym), who received private security support last year due to stalking, and Jung Sungtaek, Manager at Estec System Co., Ltd., a company executing the National Police Agency’s private security support project, participated as discussants.

Ms. Lee said, "I suffered extreme anxiety and pain from being stalked by someone I did not even know, fearing that my two young daughters might also be harmed. I even hired private security guards at my own expense, but it was difficult to continue due to the financial burden. Fortunately, thanks to the police’s private security support project, I was able to ease my anxiety until my family moved to a safe place," expressing her gratitude.

Since June last year, the National Police Agency has been piloting the "Private Security Support Project for High-Risk Crime Victims," which provides close protection by two private security guards for up to 28 days to high-risk victims of stalking and dating violence crimes. Through this project, the National Police Agency has supported a total of 140 victims (98 in 2023 and 42 this year) with security services and has restrained and arrested seven offenders who violated restraining orders.

Next, in Session 2, Lee Sanghak, Senior Researcher at Chung-Ang University, presented on "Effectiveness Analysis of the Seoul Safe Village Security Guard Project," with Kim Kwanghyun, Legislative Research Officer at the National Assembly Legislative Research Office, and Yoon Ohjoong, CEO of the Korea Security Association, participating in the discussion.

The "Safe Village Security Guard" project is a patrol initiative by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in collaboration with the private security company SK Shields Co., Ltd., targeting areas densely populated by single-person households during late-night hours. Positive effects such as increased residents’ satisfaction with public safety and attachment to the community were confirmed.

In Session 3, Jang Dahye, Research Fellow at the Korea Institute of Criminal Justice Policy, presented on "Police-Civil Cooperation Measures to Protect Victims of Stalking and Domestic Violence," with Shin Sugyeong, Human Rights Director of the Korean Women Lawyers Association, and Choi Inja, Victim Protection and Support Officer at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, participating in the discussion.

The session reviewed domestic and international cases for protecting victims of stalking and domestic violence, which are long-term and continuous in nature, and proposed development plans such as establishing a multi-agency cooperation system and creating a public-private information-sharing foundation for integrated support.

Yoon Heegeun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, who attended the forum, stated, "To protect the peaceful daily lives of the people, we must unite the capabilities of various social members. Since the private security support project for victims is an excellent example of active cooperation between the police and the private sector, we will continue to strengthen cooperation with various related organizations and further develop policies and systems for victim protection."