National Police Agency Commissioner Cho Hyun-oh has stepped down to take full responsibility for the bungled police investigation of a recent murder case.
The police came under fire following reports that the 112 emergency service center carelessly handled a desperate phone call for help from a woman who said she was being attacked. The 28-year-old victim in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, reported her exact whereabouts during her call but police failed to figure out her location. By the time police officers reached the site, the victim had already been killed and butchered.
CCTV footage shows the accused intentionally starting an argument with the victim before abducting her. He dragged the victim into his house, told her to take her clothes off and went into the bathroom. The victim managed to lock the door and dialed 112 to call police for help.
When the man broke through the door, the victim dropped her mobile phone without switching it off. The phone remained switched on for more than seven minutes, enough time for police to track its location ― if only they had been authorized to do so.
The case laid bare the incompetence of the officers at the 112 emergency service center in handling calls from people in need of help. Had they been more trained in handling emergency calls and following them up, the victim could have been rescued. The suspect killed the victim about six hours after he kidnapped her. But it took 13 hours for police to find his house.
Police could also have rescued the victim had they been authorized to trace the location of her mobile phone. The current act on the use of location information bans police from tracking mobile phone locations due to privacy concerns.
But the murder case has shown that police need to be allowed to trace people using their location information. In fact, a bill was submitted to the National Assembly three years ago to empower police to trace a person’s mobile phone location with their prior approval. But the bill has been collecting dust due to lawmakers’ indifference.
Now lawmakers are advised to pass the bill before their term expires. The police are also urged to reform the operation of the 112 emergency call center to regain public trust. This is more important than naming a new NPA commissioner.
