Local police stations run short of officers

Local police stations suffer from a shortage of officers while the headquarters is overstaffed, data unveiled by lawmakers showed Sunday.

Small police stations in charge of local crimes and safety have always experienced personnel shortages, but the staff situation has become worse over the years, according to the report.

The personnel shortage rate jumped from 0.53 percent in 2009 to 2.75 percent in 2010 and 3.67 percent this year. Meanwhile, headquarters staff has increased by 5 percent from 10.6 percent in 2009 to 15.2 percent this August.

Police have called for the recruitment of more staff to meet the increased workload of maintaining public order and safety in regional areas, but it seems unlikely that police stations will be filled with new staff in the near future, according to police officials.

“The shortage of police officers in regional police stations will be directly related to the safety of citizens in the region. Police should position their staff more effectively,” said You Jeong-hyun of the Grand National Party.

The report also showed that 731 police officers have been charged with crimes since 2008. The annual figure was the highest in 2009 with 239, dropped to 163 in 2010 and came in at 99 through July this year.

Seoul police had the largest number of police officers booked on criminal charges with 261, Gyeonggi Province was second with 132, followed by Incheon at 48.

Thirteen officers were charged with manipulating cases they had handled.

An officer in Seoul was arrested earlier this year for trying to replace a suspect with another person in an investigation of illegal game rooms in October 2007.
Another officer in Gyeonggi Province was also arrested this May for fabricating an interrogatory report.

By Lee Woo-young  (wylee@heraldcorp.com)