Since the occasion of the North-South Korean Summit held on the 15th of June, 2000, there have been many social changes taking place in Korea. We actively prepare society for a reunified Korean Peninsula throughout political, economic, social, and cul...
Since the occasion of the North-South Korean Summit held on the 15th of June, 2000, there have been many social changes taking place in Korea. We actively prepare society for a reunified Korean Peninsula throughout political, economic, social, and cultural spheres. Of particular importance is the maintenance of peace and order before and after reunification. Futhermore, a thorough alternative to keeping peace and order should be required, making the role of the police even more important for a stable future.
The objective of this dissertation, from the viewpoint of the above-mentioned historical atmosphere, is to search for a model for a new police system in Korea and suggest this alternative as a more suitable model for Korea's current situation. A comparison of this new system, acquired through local questionnaires, and other foreign countries' systems is also analyzed. As means of analysis, a questionnaire with several kinds of suggestions for an autonomous police system were collected, among police officers selected throughout the Korean National Police forces, citizens, university professors, chiefs in local governments, and members of local assemblies.
The conception of an autonomous police system used in this dissertation and the ideologies used to define it are as follows. An autonomous police system is one which decentralizes police administration and hands responsibilities and authority to local governments, thereby creating a grass-roots democratic model of local autonomy, operated and regulated by citizens, which would guarantee the political neutrality of police. Democracy, political neutrality, efficiency and independency are ideologies which are utilized to measure the need for this new autonomous police system.
The citizens' thoughts on methodologies for foundation of an autonomous police system through the four ideologies were analyzed using collected questionnaires. Based on the belief that it is a time to introduce an autonomous police system to Korea, I endeavor to understand the reality of the current police system and search for an alternative method.
When measuring the four ideologies that make up the foundation of an autonomous police system, the current system seems quite weak. In the ideology of democracy, the present police system shows a need for greater ability to practice democratic policing administration, on the ground that its democratic management in itself is weak internally. Futhermore external systems of citizens' participation and self-regulation are also needed and the local assemblies' regulation system also needs to be strengthened. Results from the questionnaires' analysis are that the most important thing to guarantee the democracy of an autonomous police system is the police's internal democratic management. As a consequence, internal reform within the system should be done before anything else.
Political neutrality of the police has been discussed since the foundation of the Korean National Police Agency. In particular, the analysis reveals that due to dependency on the central government, the political neutrality of the Korean Police is still in doubt and evaluated negatively by citizens. In analysing answers to questions used to measure the neutrality of the police, it became evident that exclusion of political authorities' interference is preferentially required more than the guarantee of the Police Commissioner General's term of office and the activation of the Police Commission System.
In Korea's present national police system, the ideology of efficiency is emphasized more than the ideologies of democracy and neutrality. Speedy dispatch of patrol vehicles and quick establishment and arresting of suspects, thorough gathering of evidence on the scene, and scientific policing activities utilizing such scientifical items as computer statistics are required to raise. efficiency. The rates of criminals arrested and crimes committed are greatly portioned in evaluating efficiency. However, although it is important to increase the rate of criminals arrested, policing policy should place more priority on lowering the rate of crimes committed.
On the ideology of independency, it is necessary to strengthen the authority of the Police Commission and the Association of Policing Administration, and granted autonomous authority in legislation, systematic structure, and budget concerns. Most importantly, it could be said that Police Commissioners of Provincial Police Agencies should have greater autonomy with restructuring and making decisions of changing police officers. Futhermore, a new methodology should be developed which allows local governments to make appropriate systematic structure which would support their own police budgets.
As strategies to introduce and practice a new autonomous police. system in Korea, it is concluded that a system for citizens' participation should be prepared externally, democratic management of police organizations should be introduced and expanded internally, and autonomy in police authorities should be endowed practically.
The basic ideology of the autonomous police system is grounded on a policing administration service concentrating on its customers. It is no exaggeration to say that the importance of police is based on the satisfaction of citizens. The national police system has lots of merits, but shows limitations in satisfying its citizens. Reform should start from internal police organizations, in order to develop a system by the citizens and for the citizens. Furthermore, the citizens' spontaneous support and cooperation is also greatly requested. An autonomous police system is not only an important point to study for police organizations themselves, but also for external institutes and academia.