Police Establish Department for Managing Prosecutors' Requests for Supplementary Investigations

The police will establish a dedicated department to oversee, monitor, and manage cases involving requests for supplementary investigations from prosecutors.

On August 12, the National Police Agency announced during the second meeting of the Task Force for Follow-up Measures to the Revised Criminal Procedure Act that the new department will operate at both the agency's headquarters and regional police agencies.

The department for managing supplementary investigation requests is expected to be operational in the second half of the year, aligned with police personnel changes.

Additionally, a new internal corruption investigation unit of 40 personnel will be created under the National Investigation Headquarters, and the investigation review committee will receive additional staffing to ensure the integrity of case handling.

The police agency stated, "We plan to announce further measures to strengthen the management of prosecutors' requests for cases in accordance with the revised Criminal Procedure Act."

Furthermore, in line with the upcoming personnel changes, all personnel in the human rights and audit divisions of regional police agencies will be assigned from outside their respective areas. This move aims to prevent potential conflicts of interest that could affect audits and oversight due to local ties.

The police also outlined plans to enhance investigative personnel. In addition to the previously discussed 881 positions, more staff will be allocated to investigation units. Given the urgency of bolstering personnel before the revised Criminal Procedure Act takes effect on October 2, the police will prioritize reallocating staff from areas that will not disrupt public safety.

The police plan to reduce the size of 130 riot police units by about 10% to reassign those personnel to investigation, public safety, and internal control roles. A total of 1,040 personnel will be reassigned, including 645 to integrated investigation teams and 80 to women and youth investigations.

Following this, the police will continue discussions with relevant agencies regarding increasing investigative personnel through new hiring. Training related to the revised Criminal Procedure Act will also be conducted for staff in the investigation units, including those newly assigned.