The Korean National Police Agency said on the 22nd that Acting Commissioner General Kim Jong-cheol visited Seoul's Mapo Police Station and the Seoul Joint Mental Health Emergency Response Center to review crime victim protection and mental health emergency response systems.
The visit was arranged to prevent crimes committed by intimate partners, family members, or acquaintances — such as dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking — from escalating into violent crimes and to review the crime victim protection system. It also aimed to examine field conditions for mental health emergency response following a recent knife attack in Incheon and to further strengthen cooperation among related agencies.
At Mapo Police Station, Kim was briefed on the status of crime victim protection and personally observed how smart watches used for victim safety measures operate, reviewing the operation of safety measures for crime victims.
According to the police agency, smart watch distribution rose steadily from 14,208 cases in 2022 to 16,690 the following year and 17,508 in 2024, before reaching 21,974 last year. Through September this year, 19,223 have been distributed, making it likely the figure will surpass last year's record.
At a meeting with field officers including victim support officers and anti-abuse police officers (APOs), Kim said, "Please look closely at whether the various safety measures directly tied to the lives of victims of such relationship-based crimes are working properly, and do your best to support their return to daily life so that victims do not bear the pain of their suffering alone."
Kim then visited the Seoul Joint Mental Health Emergency Response Center, located within Mapo Police Station's jurisdiction, where he listened to views on difficulties encountered in mental health emergency response and on ways to improve it.
The Seoul Joint Mental Health Emergency Response Center is a joint response organization that combines rapid police field response with the expertise of mental health professionals. It opened in October 2022, the first of its kind in the country. There are currently 15 teams at 12 police agencies nationwide, and mental health emergency response teams handle about 50% of police requests for emergency hospitalization.
"In mental health emergencies, it is important that the police's field response capabilities and related agencies' mental health expertise are organically combined," Kim said. "Since the Seoul Joint Mental Health Emergency Response Center has led the development of the nationwide mental health emergency response system, we hope it will continue to play a leading role."