Police to Directly Request 'Electronic Ankle Bracelet Attachment' from Court

[Financial News] The police are pushing for a plan to directly request the court for provisional measures, such as electronic ankle bracelet attachment, targeting stalking offenders. The Metropolitan Investigation Unit, which investigates major cases, will be expanded to regions other than Seoul and the Southern Gyeonggi Police Agency.
The National Investigation Headquarters of the National Police Agency announced on the 4th that it has prepared a 'Comprehensive Roadmap to Strengthen Investigation Capabilities' in its 5th year since its establishment. Through this roadmap, the National Investigation Headquarters aims to secure the investigative expertise demanded by the public and to become a trusted investigative agency.
First, the law and system will be improved to ensure the accountability and fairness of investigations. Amendments to the Fair Trade Act and the Specific Financial Information Act will be made to allow the police to share important investigative clues and information concentrated with the prosecution. The current law stipulates that major illegal transactions must be exclusively reported to the prosecution. Financial information is also provided differentially to the prosecution and police.
A plan to improve the system so that judicial police officers can directly request the court for provisional measures, such as electronic ankle bracelet attachment, is also being promoted. According to the current Stalking Punishment Act and the Domestic Violence Punishment Act, if the police apply for such measures to the prosecution, the prosecution must reapply to the court.
In cases where police officers conduct 'pre-investigation (preliminary investigation)' of intelligence collected independently, they must obtain approval from the station chief. This aims to enhance the fairness of investigation initiation. For non-suspects, remote video investigations will be introduced, and video recording and statement recording systems will be expanded to ensure the fairness and transparency of investigations. The right to assistance from a lawyer will also be expanded by strengthening the procedure for reviewing lawyer opinions. The judicial police officer evaluation, organized by the Seoul Bar Association, will be expanded nationwide, and the pool of external members for the Police Investigation Review Committee will be increased to ensure substantial citizen participation in police investigations.
The investigation system will be improved, and expertise will be enhanced. The dedicated investigation system of provincial police agencies with rich investigative experience will be expanded to handle important cases such as telephone financial fraud (voice phishing). Depending on the situation, senior police officers may also be involved in investigative work. The Metropolitan Investigation Unit established in Seoul and Southern Gyeonggi will be expanded to other regions.
To establish the 'team-based investigation system' that has been promoted so far, semi-annual multi-faceted evaluations will be conducted for all team leaders. The evaluation of department and team leader capabilities will be strengthened to ensure the uniformity of investigations. From 2028, the training period for new investigators will be gradually increased to six months, and the number of trainees will be expanded to ensure there is no gap even if investigators receive long-term training. In-depth diagnostics will be conducted for investigators who repeatedly violate investigation procedures, guidelines, and regulations to manage capabilities.
Efforts will also be made to expand manpower and budget. The number of personnel in field investigation departments will be increased, and the budget for investigation activities will be gradually increased. An investigation support system (KICS-AI) utilizing generative artificial intelligence (AI) will be introduced to provide investigation issue precedents. The quality of investigations will be expanded by automatically generating drafts of investigation documents such as warrant applications, and systems for tracking and analyzing virtual assets and the dark web will be developed and advanced to respond to new crimes.
To eradicate crimes affecting people's livelihoods, the special crackdown on charter fraud will be extended indefinitely, and all-out efforts will be made at every stage for voice phishing and drugs. The responsibility investigation system will be established with the National Police Agency at its center for counter-espionage investigations. A concentrated crackdown on overseas industrial technology leakage crimes will also be conducted.
The National Investigation Headquarters evaluated that the speed of investigations has increased by strengthening the team leader-centered investigation system and command management since its establishment in 2021. The case handling period increased from 55.6 days in 2020 before its establishment to 67.7 days in 2022, but decreased to 55.2 days as of last June. The rate of requests and demands from prosecutors decreased from 10.1% in 2022 to 8.5% last June, indicating that the completeness of investigations has also improved. The avoidance phenomenon in investigation departments has also been improved through special promotions for senior inspectors and team personnel reallocation. The proportion of investigators with more than 10 years of investigation experience increased from 29.7% in the first half of 2022 to 33.4% this year. The average investigation experience of investigators and team leaders also increased from 7.4 years and 14.6 years, respectively, to 8.5 years and 18.2 years this year.
Seongju Park, head of the National Investigation Headquarters, said, "Looking back over the past five years, there have been some achievements, but there is still a long way to go to gain the trust of the public," and "We will reorganize the entire investigation process and further enhance our capabilities."



unsaid@fnnews.com Myungyeon Kang Reporter