Average Nationwide: 5 Minutes and 27 Seconds
Strengthening Rapid Initial Response
The Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency (Chief Lee Seung-hyeop) announced on the 13th that the number of 112 emergency calls in the Daegu area last year was 860,259, a 12.8% decrease compared to the previous year.
This was due to a surge in calls during the first and second quarters of 2023 caused by the COVID-19 endemic and mobile phone malfunction issues, among other complex factors, and the number of calls returned to normal levels in 2024. The mobile phone malfunction issue involved the phone’s power button being continuously pressed, which automatically connected the call to 112. This was resolved in August last year through a firmware update that allowed users to choose whether to connect the call.
Although the total number of calls decreased by 12.8%, reports of crimes affecting daily life increased due to economic instability caused by recession and rising prices, including phishing scams by 18.2%, fraud by 17.1%, theft by 5.6%, and dine-and-dash by 0.8%. Reports of crimes against socially vulnerable groups also rose, with sexual violence up 3.1%, dating violence up 0.8%, and domestic violence up 0.1%, due to increased awareness and strengthened reporting systems.
However, reports of drug-related crimes decreased by 35.0%, along with traffic violations by 27.3%, juvenile delinquency by 18.8%, school violence by 9.9%, and stalking by 6.2%.
By month, June had the highest number of calls at 77,629, while February had the lowest at 62,034. By day of the week, Saturday had the most calls at 129,647, and Sunday had the fewest at 117,264.
By police station, Daegu Dongbu Police Station recorded the highest number of calls at 88,193, while Gunwi Police Station, which was incorporated into Daegu last year, had the fewest at 3,302. The number of calls received ranked as follows: Dongbu > Suseong > Seongseo > Dalseo > Seobu > Jungbu > Dalseong > Nambu > Bukbu > Gangbuk > Gunwi Police Stations.
The Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency’s 112 Comprehensive Security Situation Room achieved remarkable results over the past year while handling 112 calls strictly and fairly.
The ‘112 Emergency Call Response Time’ from the initial report to arrival at the scene was evaluated at 4 minutes and 26 seconds, ranking among the top nationwide for seven consecutive years and achieving first place nationwide for six years. After ranking first in 2018 and 2019 and second in 2020, it has held first place nationwide for the past four years since 2021.
This reduced the national average arrival time of 5 minutes and 27 seconds by 61 seconds.
Daegu police also saw a 513.9% increase (3,895 cases) in the use of the ‘Visible 112 Service,’ which transmits the caller’s location and real-time scene information to officers when citizens make 112 calls. This accounts for 35.5% of the nationwide usage, ranking first in the country.
The service was promoted through a mobile web page using QR codes, distributed in schools, public institutions, and public transportation to encourage citizens to actively use and experience the Visible 112 Service.
Additionally, Daegu Seongseo and Gunwi Police Stations have established a ‘112 Situation Room Integrated Control Dashboard’ using large LCD monitors to enable integrated control of the 112 system. The ‘Patrol Car Cam System,’ first introduced in Daegu and expanded nationwide, was installed in all police and traffic patrol cars across Daegu, including Gunwi. This system was selected as one of the top 10 outstanding cases among 112 emergency call incidents handled by the Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency last year.
Captain Bae Ki-hwan of the Daegu Metropolitan Police Agency’s 112 Comprehensive Security Situation Room stated, “We will strengthen our rapid initial response capabilities to various incidents and accidents, establish an effective response system to changing security situations through periodic analysis of call data, and do our best to improve security services for the citizens of Daegu.”
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