South Korea's police will expand its "My Case Alert" service to tell crime victims and complainants whether a suspect has been arrested or questioned, offering more detailed updates on the progress of investigations. The agency is also moving to change its English name from "Agency" to "Service."
Kim Jong-cheol, acting commissioner general of the Korea National Police Agency, told a weekly staff meeting on the 19th that officers should actively identify and pursue measures that strengthen democratic accountability and public trust. "We will work harder to restore public trust by delivering a citizen-centered police service that informs first and helps from close by," Kim said.
The police plan to expand the case-related information and key public safety indicators they provide to the public in order to improve transparency. Victims and complainants can currently look up their own cases on the Korea Criminal Justice Portal, but only limited information such as "under investigation" is available. The police will upgrade the system so that users can also see whether a suspect has been arrested or questioned, and will widen the scope of notifications. To that end, the plan will go before the Personal Information Protection Commission for review and approval this week to determine whether providing information on a suspect's custody status conflicts with privacy protection rules. System development will proceed in parallel, with the aim of launching within the year.
Marking Police Week this week, the police are also pushing to replace the "Agency" in their English name, Korea National Police Agency, with "Service." The idea is to recast the organization as a service institution that puts public safety and rights first, rather than simply a body that exercises state authority. The Korean-language name will remain unchanged.
The police will also overhaul their systems so that crime victims are repeatedly informed not only about the investigation process but also about victims' rights and protection and support programs. Key public safety indicators, such as the number of 112 emergency calls and traffic accidents, along with information on traffic disruptions caused by rallies and events, will be disclosed at police offices and on police websites.
"We will work harder to restore public trust by delivering a citizen-centered police service that informs first and helps from close by," Kim said.