Police officers who forgot the weight of their uniforms: a bitter self-portrait left behind by drinking and running away and sexual misconduct > News

The drunk driving and fleeing incident of a serving police officer that occurred in Gimpo, Gyeonggi-do is a shocking example that shows that the sense of ethics as a public official has been completely paralyzed. Mr. A, a police officer in his 30s belonging to the Gyeonggi Northern Police Agency, ignored the order to stop from a fellow police officer who was conducting a drunken control and rushed ahead, injuring the police officer on the scene, hitting the taxi of an ordinary citizen who was blocking him, and fleeing the scene. Immediately after the incident, the police quickly tracked him down and arrested him at Mr. A's home three hours later, but at the time, his blood alcohol level was well above the level for license revocation. The fact that a police officer, who should know the severity of the law better than anyone else, committed another dangerous crime to cover up his own crime had the result of completely destroying the trust that citizens had in public power.

At the same time, in the North Chungcheong region, public outrage is being raised after the misconduct of a police inspector in his 50s who committed sexual harassment against a subordinate while on duty was revealed. The perpetrator did not hesitate to commit unscrupulous acts, such as forcibly hugging and touching parts of the body of a subordinate in his 20s who was about to retire in the office, and has now been transferred to the prosecution along with being relieved of his position. The fact that he abused the hierarchy within the organization to subject his colleagues to sexual abuse clearly reveals the closed culture of the police organization and lack of gender sensitivity. In particular, the fact that the victim suffered such damage at a time when he was about to retire raises doubts about how openly or secretly such misconduct has been committed within the organization, and suggests that thorough inspection and severe disciplinary action should be supported.

In addition to internal laxity in discipline, the problem of human rights abuses experienced by field police officers from outside has also reached a serious level. During the long-term protests that continued around the Jamsil polling station after the June 3 local elections, some participants ridiculed, insulted, and even physically threatened police officers who were maintaining order. Accordingly, the Seoul Police Works Council held a press conference and made a desperate voice saying that the basic rights and human rights of police officers as uniformed citizens should no longer be trampled upon. They strongly appealed that police officers who patiently and patiently protect public safety in the midst of political conflict and social anger should not become victims of violence just because they are police officers.

The two-faced crisis of internal misconduct within the police organization and human rights violations outside it ultimately means that the authority of public power has fallen to the bottom. Internally, it is essential to reorganize the intensive disciplinary and educational systems to eradicate chronic deviance such as drunk driving and sexual crimes, and externally, effective safety measures and legal protection measures must be strengthened to ensure that field police officers can carry out their legitimate official duties. If the police themselves show moral flaws, no public power can gain the support of citizens. Conversely, if citizens' reckless attempts to neutralize public power are repeated, the damage will ultimately lead to the collapse of order in the entire society. Now is the time for the police to once again reflect on the weight of the uniform and begin a drastic reform to restore the morality of the organization.