Police Notify Serious Crime Investigation Agency of 459 Cases; Actual Transfers Through the 8th: “0 Cases”

[Financial News] Since the launch of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, police have notified it of 459 cases that could fall within its investigative jurisdiction. However, through the 8th, there had not been a single case in which the agency requested that police transfer a case or actually received one.
According to data submitted by the National Police Agency to the office of Rep. Kim Ye-ji of the People Power Party, a member of the National Assembly’s Public Administration and Security Committee, police notified the agency of a total of 459 cases from the 2nd through the 10th, following its launch on the 2nd.
By provincial and metropolitan police agency, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency had the most notifications, with 86 cases. It was followed by the Incheon Metropolitan Police Agency with 82, the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency with 81, and the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency with 77. By contrast, 11 of the remaining 14 provincial and metropolitan police agencies reported 10 or fewer cases. The Sejong, Chungbuk and Gyeongbuk police agencies reported no cases.
By the Serious Crime Investigation Agency’s jurisdiction, the Seoul Regional Serious Crime Investigation Agency had the most cases, with 205. The Busan Regional Serious Crime Investigation Agency, which covers Busan, Ulsan and Gyeongnam, had jurisdiction over 99 cases, followed by the Suwon Regional Serious Crime Investigation Agency, which covers Gyeonggi and Incheon, with 76. The Daejeon Regional Serious Crime Investigation Agency, which covers Chungcheong, Daejeon and Sejong, had 16 cases.
Under the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency Act and its enforcement decree, police must notify the head of the agency if, during a criminal investigation, they become aware of “serious crimes, etc.” that are legally within the agency’s investigative jurisdiction. The head of the agency or a regional agency may then review the nature of the case and request that police transfer it if they determine that it would be appropriate for the agency to investigate.
However, no cases have yet been confirmed to have proceeded to an actual transfer. According to National Police Agency data, from the 2nd through the 8th, there were zero cases in which the agency requested that police transfer a case, and zero cases actually transferred. Police statistics on notifications of cases they became aware of run through the 10th, while transfer-related statistics run through the 8th, leaving a two-day difference in the reporting cutoffs. The fact that transfer figures are compiled manually was taken into account.
An official with the Seoul Regional Serious Crime Investigation Agency said in a phone call with a reporter that day, “We are receiving notifications from the police,” adding, “Whether cases will actually be transferred is still under discussion.”
The National Police Agency said the data did not separately categorize the reported cases by type of crime.
Rep. Kim pointed out, “Since it opened, the Serious Crime Investigation Agency has received notifications from police about 459 cases, but had not received even a single transfer by the 8th. If police notifications do not lead to actual investigations, it is difficult to say the system is working properly.”
Kim went on to stress, “The Serious Crime Investigation Agency and the National Police Agency must review the entire process, from case notification and transfer through the start of an investigation.”
 
[email protected] Choi Eun-sol Reporter