Police prepare for Oct. 2 abolition of prosecution service
Police will establish dedicated units at regional police agencies nationwide to manage cases subject to supplementary investigation requests, as they prepare for the amended Code of Criminal Procedure to take effect Oct. 2 — legislation centered on the abolition of the prosecution service. Police chiefs will directly oversee such cases, and the deployment of legal experts to individual police stations is also under consideration. The measures are part of a series of steps police are taking to minimize any investigative gap as they take on the bulk of criminal investigations starting next month.
The Korean National Police Agency said Wednesday it would create dedicated units to manage cases flagged for supplementary investigation, to ensure thorough compliance with prosecutor requests under the amended code and to dispel concerns about the abolition of prosecutors' supplementary investigative powers.
In the second-half personnel reshuffle this year, police will elevate the investigation review sections at regional agencies to full divisions headed by senior superintendent-level officers. Under each division, a new "investigative cooperation unit" will be established to monitor whether cases in which public prosecutors have requested supplementary investigation, re-investigation or corrective action are being properly handled. The unit will track progress from the moment a supplementary request is received through to reviewing the adequacy of the final investigative outcome.
Oversight of supplementary investigation cases will also be tightened at the individual police station level. Station chiefs will receive regular briefings on the status of cases flagged by prosecutors and will take command of those investigations, while holding monthly meetings with their respective regional police commissioners.
In addition, each regional public prosecutors office will be assigned a "field liaison officer" to serve as a communication channel between police investigative teams and prosecutors. Police are also reviewing plans to station legally qualified "investigative review officers" at police stations across the country to strengthen the completeness of investigations into major cases.
"Through the creation of dedicated units to manage prosecutor-requested cases, we will ensure that police investigations are conducted swiftly and thoroughly," an official from the National Investigation Headquarters said. "We will manage the process rigorously so that no prosecutor request is overlooked or left unaddressed."
arin@heraldcorp.com
