Excessive Population and Area per Police Officer
Concerns Over Security Gaps
Hwaseong City in Gyeonggi Province has requested the establishment of a new police station to respond to the increasing demand for public safety.
On the 11th, Hwaseong City announced that it delivered a petition urging the establishment of a new police station to the Southern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency, together with local National Assembly members Song Ok-ju, Lee Jun-seok, Kwon Chil-seung, and Jeon Yong-gi. The city raised the necessity of establishing a new police station, citing concerns about a security gap due to a shortage of police personnel relative to the population and area.
Jung Myung-geun, Mayor of Hwaseong City, is presiding over a directors' meeting to address the gap in public safety administration. Photo by Hwaseong City
Currently, Hwaseong City has two local police stations: Seobu and Dongtan. Considering the population and area, this is one fewer than Suwon (4 stations), Yongin (3 stations), Goyang (3 stations), and Seongnam (3 stations). The number of frontline police offices such as district police stations, police boxes, and security centers is also 20, which is up to 11 fewer compared to these cities.
As a result, the population and area per police officer differ significantly. According to the city, each police officer in Hwaseong is responsible for 1,007 people and an area of 0.88 km², which is twice the population and more than nine times the area compared to Seongnam, a city with a similar population.
The continuous population growth is also a background for the need to establish a new police station. According to the "Future Population Projection by City and County in Gyeonggi Province (2020?2040)," Hwaseong's projected population in 2040 is about 1.22 million, expected to rank first in Gyeonggi Province. Unlike all 30 cities and counties in the province, which show a negative natural population growth rate (natural increase rate based on births and deaths), Hwaseong is expected to be the only city with a 0.22% increase rate.
With about 28,000 companies concentrated, the largest number nationwide, and the highest rate of increase in foreign workers due to industrial characteristics, the demand for public safety administration is also rising as urban development projects continue in each district due to ongoing population inflow.
Jung Myung-geun, mayor of Hwaseong City, said, "Expanding police forces is more important than anything else for the safe lives and happy daily lives of citizens," adding, "We will actively propose the establishment of a police station that fits the city's circumstances and also actively pursue attracting national institutions such as courts and fire stations."
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