Police to reinforce training on use of police gear following bungled violence response

Police will reinforce training of its workforce on the use of stun guns and other weapons to enhance their ability to deal with violent criminal scenes, officials said Wednesday amid public fury over a bungled police response to a knife attacker.

The plan came after criticism that police officers failed to stop a knife-wielding man from seriously wounding a neighbor over a noise dispute earlier this month even though they were deployed at the scene and were in possession of a stun gun and a gun at the time.

One of the two officers left the scene to call for help even after witnessing the stabbing, leaving family members of the victim to deal with the violence on their own. National police chief Kim Chang-yong has apologized over the case.

In an effort to prevent such cases from happening again, police will step up training of police forces on the use of police gear, such as stun guns and sticks, as well as the physical force needed to bring violent criminal suspects under control, officials said.

Officers will also be encouraged to use such gear more proactively when dealing with violence, while training will also be reinforced to empower officers to more efficiently respond to unexpected situations, such as the misfiring of stun guns.

On-site training for new police recruits will be further strengthened as well, a measure taken in response to criticism that police training given online due to COVID-19 left many officers unable to properly respond to violent scenes in actual situations. (Yonhap)