Local authorities to take charge of police from July 1

A police officer inspects tourists who have just landed at Jeju International Airport. (Jeju police website)

South Korea is slated to officially put local governments in charge of regional police forces from next month, in the biggest reform of the police force since its launch in 1945.

The National Police Agency said Sunday that the change would take effect on July 1, with many duties handed over from the national police.

The plan, introduced by the Presidential Committee on Local Autonomy Development in 2018, will put local governments in charge of their regional police agencies and directly run safety initiatives for residents.

Local police will also be in charge of investigating some forms of crime, such as sexual abuse, traffic accidents, school violence and domestic violence in their regions. Other crimes will still be dealt with at the national level.

Around 65,000 of the nation’s 120,000 police officers will be tasked with local police duties.

The remaining members of the national police will be in charge of external affairs and national-level operations, and an investigative unit will be independently in works to carry out large-scale investigations.

Not much will change for average citizens despite the overhaul, the police said. The same hotline will be in operation for people to report crimes at any moment, and most of the administrative and investigative processes will remain the same in many cases.

The reform came as the Moon Jae-in administration aimed to adjust the investigative power of the nation’s law enforcement agencies while enhancing the efficiency of the police as a whole by dividing its duties into smaller groups.

The autonomous police will be managed under the control of autonomous committees in 18 major cities and provinces across Korea. Each committee will consist of seven members. Members are recommended by different regional bodies and approved by the head of the local government.

Regional committees have already announced their own plans to improve safety in their cities and provinces.

Gwangju’s police committee vowed to focus on children’s traffic safety while Busan plans to better tackle safety issues on its beaches. South Gyeongsang Province looks to improve safety for those attending schools.

By Ko Jun-tae(ko.juntae@heraldcorp.com)